NIA takes over Pahalgam terror attack case

On the request of the Cabinet, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has summoned a one-day Special Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local were killed and many others injured. The Assembly will pay tribute to those killed in the terror attack, followed by discussion on the incident and related issues and then passing a resolution strongly condemning the incident, which sent shock waves not only in the country but across the world. The cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on April 23, had recommended to the LG the convening of a special Assembly session on April 28 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. There could be around two-hour discussion on the resolution in the Assembly before it is adopted. This is a rare occasion when a special session of the Legislature is being called. The budget session of the Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die on April 9.
Meanwhile,the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun the process of formally taking over the Pahalgam terror attack case following orders from the Home Ministry. NIA teams, which have been camping at the terror attack site since Wednesday, have intensified the search for evidence. NIA said in a statement that the teams, overseen by an IG, a DIG and an SP from the anti-terror agency, are examining the eyewitnesses who had seen the attack unfold at the Baisaran valley. The eyewitnesses are being questioned in minute detail to piece together the sequence of events that led to one of the worst terror attacks in Kashmir.
The entry and exit points are being closely scrutinised by the NIA teams for clues to the modus operandi of the terrorists. The teams, aided by forensic and other experts, are checking the entire area thoroughly for evidence to expose the terror conspiracy that led to the attack that has shocked the nation.