Thursday, April 24

Telangana CM, ministers pay homage to victims of Pahalgam terror attack

Hyderabad, April 24 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet colleagues on Thursday observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those killed in terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The Chief Minister, who returned from a week-long tour to Japan on Wednesday, strongly condemned the terror attack.

He met with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and AICC in-charge Meenkashi Natrjan to discuss the situation and the problems faced by tourists in the wake of the terror attack.

The Chief Minister and other participants in the meeting observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for those killed.

The Chief Minister will be leading a candlelight march in Hyderabad on Thursday evening to show solidarity with the victims of the terror attack.

The candlelight march will be held from People’s Plaza to the Indira Gandhi statue on the banks of Hussain Sagar in the heart of the city.

In a solemn tribute to the brave individuals who lost their lives in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of Telangana will organise a candlelight march to honour their memory and pray for peace for their souls, said the Chief Minister’s Office.

This peaceful demonstration stands as a mark of solidarity with the victims and their families, and as a united stand against terrorism, it added.

Meanwhile, the state has opened helplines for people from the state stranded in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror attack.

The government has announced helpline numbers: 9440816071, 9010659333 and 040-23450368.

Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said all steps were being taken to ensure that tourists from Telangana reach their hometown safely.

The government has asked the tour operators to provide details of the tourists from the state who left for Kashmir during the last few days.

At least 26 tourists were killed and several others injured in the terror attack at Pahalgam on Tuesday.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer from Hyderabad was also among the victims of the terror attack.

Manish Ranjan, a native of Bihar and posted in Hyderabad, was on a Leave Travel Concession (LTC) visit with his family.

The family, along with many other tourists, was in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, known as Mini Switzerland, when the terrorists attacked them.

ms/svn