Don't travel to Jammu & Kashmir: US cautions citizens travelling to India

Washington: The US on Friday asked its citizens to exercise "increased caution" while travelling to India due to "crime and terrorism" and advised them to not to travel to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a new travel advisory issued on Friday, the US State Department reduced the India Travel Advisory Level to 2 on a scale of one to 4 with the latter being the highest.

The State Department in a separate advisory, a day earlier, had put Pakistan on Level 3 and asked its citizens to reconsider their travel especially its restive provinces due to terrorism and sectarian violence.

Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism, said the State Department.

Do not travel to: The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest. Within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict, it said.

According to the travel advisory, "Indian authorities report rape is one of the fastest growing crimes in India. Violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations."

The advisory said that "terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and government facilities.

The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in rural areas from eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana through western West Bengal as US government employees must obtain special authorisation to travel to these areas, said the travel advisory.