PM Modi cuts short Saudi visit after terror attack in J-K: Govt sources
Jeddah, Apr 22 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly ended his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and decided to return to New Delhi on Tuesday night following a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, government sources said.
Modi, who held bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, skipped an official dinner hosted on Tuesday to address the crisis, they added.
He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night.
Modi, who arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon, delayed a scheduled meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince by at least two hours on Tuesday evening to assess the situation in Kashmir.
Terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Pahalgam town in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group, prompted an urgent internal meeting at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah, attended by Modi, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and other senior officials.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Doval visited the Royal Palace earlier to brief the Saudi leadership on the sudden change in plans, sources said.
Modi's planned itinerary, which included a visit to a date factory in Jeddah on Wednesday to meet Indian workers, was cancelled.
Modi was set to depart Jeddah after spending less than 12 hours in the Saudi port city.
Sources said he is expected to chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security in Delhi on Wednesday to address the escalating situation in Kashmir.
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6 dead, several injured in stampede at Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar
Haridwar (PTI): Six people died and at least two dozen were injured in a stampede at Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple on Sunday, a police officer said.
Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Dobal told PTI Videos that 35 people had been rushed to a hospital, of whom six died.
The officer said a rumour of an electric current ahead of the spot where the steps to the temple begin sent the devotees panicking, leading to a stampede.
According to officials, the incident took place at around 9.30 am. The State Disaster Response Force and the fire brigade are at the spot, he said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was saddened by the incident and asserted that the situation was being monitored.
"Very sad news has been received about a stampede on the way to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar. SDRF, local police and other rescue teams have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations," Dhami said in a post on Facebook.
"I am constantly in touch with the local administration in this regard, and the situation is being constantly monitored. I pray to Mata Rani for the safety of all the devotees," he added.
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