Lucknow, Apr 24 (PTI) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday decried the Pahalgam terror attack as a “highly gruesome” massacre and questioned authorities over the security lapse at the key tourist location.

She said it was natural for the public to get angry, as she demanded accountability from the BJP-led Centre over the security breach.

“The highly gruesome massacre of tourists by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in Pahalgam, one of the country’s prominent tourist destinations, has deeply shocked the nation. The absence of adequate security at such an important location during the tourism season makes this tragedy all the more distressing. Public outrage and anger are natural, and accountability is essential,” Mayawati said on X.

Terrorists on Tuesday opened fire on a group of tourists near Pahalgam town in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, killing at least 26 people – most of them from other states. The attack was the Valley’s deadliest since the 2019 Pulwama strike.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said political blame games were secondary to national security concerns, as she called for a decisive action.

“More important than political blame games over this incident related to national security is the central government’s responsibility to take prompt and effective steps to restore public trust. The government must act decisively so that such painful incidents do not recur anywhere in the country,” she said. PTI KIS VN VN