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The United States has issued an advisory urging its citizens travelling to India to exercise “increased caution” due to incidents of crime and terrorism, adding that certain parts of the country have heightened risks.
The Level 2 advisory issued by the US Department of State on June 16 said that “rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in India”. It added that violent crimes, including sexual assault, happened at tourist sites and other locations.
Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, the department said, adding that they “target tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls and government facilities”.
The advisory also noted that the US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to its citizens in rural areas. “These areas stretch from eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana through western West Bengal,” it said. “Due to the risks, US government employees working in India must obtain special authorisation to travel to these areas.”
The department asked its citizens not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir, except for visits to the eastern Ladakh region and its capital Leh, due to “terrorism and civil unrest”.
“Terrorist attacks and violent civil unrest are possible,” it said. “Violence happens sporadically in this area and is common along the Line of Control [LOC] between India and Pakistan. Violence also occurs in tourist spots in the Kashmir Valley: Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.”
This comes in the backdrop of the terror attack at Baisaran near the town of Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 persons dead and 16 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
The attack led to a four-day military skirmish between India and Pakistan.
The US further advised its citizens against travelling to the area around the India-Pakistan border
due to the potential for armed conflict.
It also flagged Maoist violence in parts of Central and East India.
“Maoist extremist groups, or ‘Naxalites,’ are active in a large area of India that spans from eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana through western West Bengal,” it said, adding that suspected Maoists have carried out several “terrorist attacks, targeting local police, paramilitary forces, and government officials”.
The advisory said that the US government employees working in India were required to obtain permission prior to traveling to most areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Odisha.
“US government employees working in India also need approval to travel to the eastern region of Maharashtra and the eastern region of Madhya Pradesh,” it added.
The department advised its citizens against travelling to Manipur due to the threat of “violence and crime”.
The state has been mired in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.
“Ongoing ethnic-based conflict has resulted in reports of extensive violence and community displacement,” the US government said. “Attacks against Indian government targets occur on a regular basis.”
It also asked its citizens to reconsider travel to the northeastern states due to terrorism and violence. “Ethnic insurgent groups occasionally commit acts of violence in parts of the northeast,” it said. “These incidents include bombings of buses, trains, rail lines, and markets.”
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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