Guwahati: In the wake of the devastating terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, President Droupadi Murmu has postponed her planned two-day visit to Assam, which was scheduled to commence on April 24. Officials from the Assam Governor’s Secretariat confirmed on Tuesday that a communication from Rashtrapati Bhavan informed them of the deferment, citing the prevailing national circumstances.
President Murmu was expected to arrive in Guwahati on the evening of April 24 to attend two key events the following day. These included the conferral of the prestigious Srimanta Sankardeva Award to classical dance icon Sonal Mansingh and the 32nd convocation ceremony of Gauhati University, where she was to be the chief guest. Despite the change, Gauhati University officials stated that the convocation would proceed as scheduled without the President’s presence.
In a parallel development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, also stands cancelled. The visit was intended for the inauguration and foundation laying of development projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore on April 24. Officials cited national mourning and respect for the victims of the Kashmir attack, including a young Kanpur resident named Shubham, as the reason behind the cancellation.
The terror attack took place on Tuesday at the Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in south Kashmir. The brutal assault resulted in the death of 26 individuals, mostly tourists, triggering widespread shock and condemnation across the nation.
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