Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 24 (ANI): Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Wednesday paid tributes to the mortal remains of Prashant Satapathy, a victim of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Deo informed that Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will visit Satapathy's native village on Thursday morning.

Condemning the incident, the Deputy CM stated that such incidents are not expected in a civil society and that they need to be dealt with in the strongest manner.

'The mortal remains of Prashant Satapathy reached Bhubaneshwar airport a while ago. On behalf of the government, we received the mortal remains here and the government has made arrangements for his mortal remains to be sent to his village. Tomorrow morning, the Chief Minister will be visiting his village, meeting the people there. This cowardly act has cost so many lives. This needs to be dealt in the strongest manner. Such kind of incidents are not expected in a civil society. I'm sure the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister will take the necessary action, the strongest action...' Deo told ANI.

Speaking about the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Deputy CM Deo said, 'Five main decisions have been taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security... They have also asked the Pakistani nationals in the Embassy in India to leave India, and the Indian officials in the Indian Embassy in Pakistan to come back. We expect that the entire civilised world is standing with India.'

BJP leader Pratap Keshari Deb urged the government to take severe and strict action against the perpetrators of the terror attack. He condemned the incident and termed it 'highly unfortunate' and 'deplorable.'

'The incident in Pahalgam yesterday was highly unfortunate and deplorable. I urge the government of India to take severe and strict action. They should not get complacent, thinking that we have achieved peace in Kashmir. There are people who are still anti-India. There are people across the border who think that we are weak, and they will take advantage of the situation... What is most unfortunate is that they (tourists) were selected. This has never happened before. This is a new trend that is being imported from the Middle East and other international crises. This gives a new dimension to the terrorism activities happening in Kashmir...' Deb told ANI.

As many as 26 people were killed in the dastardly attack by terrorists on tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

India on Wednesday announced a series of steps to give a strong message to Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism, stating that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance and the integrated checkpost at Attari will be closed with immediate effect.

Addressing a special press conference after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC visa Exemption scheme.

The CCS meeting, which lasted over two hours, was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS), which met on Wednesday, was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed.

The CCS condemned the attack in the strongest terms and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and hoped for the early recovery of the injured. In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out.

The families of victims of the Pahalgam terror attack mourned the loss of their loved ones as they urged the government to take strong action against the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The attack, carried out by terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, is one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (ANI)