U.S. asks travellers to India to exercise ‘increased caution’ due to crime, terrorism

The U.S. 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 U.S. State Department raised the India Travel Advisory to Level 2 on a scale of 1 to 4, with Level 4 being the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.

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.

Warnings of rape, terrorism

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