Tag: Pulwama Terror Attack

  • Congress demands white paper from Modi government on Pulwama attack

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the government should come out with a white paper on the Pulwama attack providing answers to questions such as what were the intelligence failures and why troops were denied aircraft.

    Days after former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satypal Malik’s allegations over the 2019 Pulwama attack, the Congress held a press conference here by Col (retd) Rohit Chaudhry and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya, both associated with the party, and posed a series of questions to the government on the attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

    There has been no reaction from the government since Malik’s interview to a news portal was released, while the BJP has said that there were serious questions about his credibility and cited various statements made by him in recent years.

    The BJP had cited Malik’s past remarks, including the one that mocked former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as a political juvenile , and slammed him as the disgraced governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said the party did not make any political statement over an incident like Pulwama in 2019 but had to raise this issue as concerns have been expressed by former army chief Gen (retd) Shankar Roychowdhury in an interview.

    Chaudhry and Acharya, the two armed forces veterans, said the defence fraternity and the entire nation share the concerns of Malik and Gen. Roychowdhury.

    They posed questions to the prime minister on the basis of the assertions by the former army chief.

    Why were 2,500 CRPF soldiers not allowed to travel by air despite their request, they asked.

    They also asked as to why were intelligence inputs between January 2, 2019 and February 13, 2019 warning of a terrorist attack ignored.

    “How did the militants procure around 300 kg of explosives? How could this huge quantity remain undetected despite heavy security presence in South Kashmir, especially the Pulwama-Anantnag-Avantipora belt,” Chaudhry said.

    ALSO READ: Centre ‘manipulating’ headlines to divert attention from Satya Pal’s Pulwama allegations: Congress

    Four years after the attack, how far has the inquiry progressed? Why is there a delay in completing the inquiry and letting the nation know its findings? they said.

    At the Congress presser, the two army veterans said that in previous terror attacks, such as the Mumbai attacks in 2011 and the Pathankot attack in 2016, inquiries were held and findings made public.

    “This was essential to establish the truth, fix responsibility, and strengthen India’s national security. In Pulwama too, these serious questions must be addressed,” they said.

    “Therefore, we demand that the government of India publish a white paper on the Pulwama attacks, describing — how the attacks took place, what were the intelligence failures , why troops were denied aircraft, what security lapses occurred and the role of CRPF, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, National Security Advisor and the Prime Minister’s Office,” the veterans said.

    The Congress had on Saturday demanded that the Centre reveal the outcome of the probe into the Pulwama incident and asked why the paramilitary personnel were denied aircraft and made to commute by road despite the terror attack threat.

    BJP’s I-T department head Amit Malviya had on Saturday tweeted an old remark of Malik, who has become a strong critic of the government in recent years, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the best PM for Jammu and Kashmir, to hit out at his U-turn.

    Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress members held a protest here against the government over Malik’s claims. IYC national president Srinivas BV said the sensational disclosure made by Malik is shocking.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break the silence, should tell the country why did you hide the mistake of your own government,” he asked.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the government should come out with a white paper on the Pulwama attack providing answers to questions such as what were the intelligence failures and why troops were denied aircraft.

    Days after former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satypal Malik’s allegations over the 2019 Pulwama attack, the Congress held a press conference here by Col (retd) Rohit Chaudhry and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya, both associated with the party, and posed a series of questions to the government on the attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

    There has been no reaction from the government since Malik’s interview to a news portal was released, while the BJP has said that there were serious questions about his credibility and cited various statements made by him in recent years.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The BJP had cited Malik’s past remarks, including the one that mocked former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as a political juvenile , and slammed him as the disgraced governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said the party did not make any political statement over an incident like Pulwama in 2019 but had to raise this issue as concerns have been expressed by former army chief Gen (retd) Shankar Roychowdhury in an interview.

    Chaudhry and Acharya, the two armed forces veterans, said the defence fraternity and the entire nation share the concerns of Malik and Gen. Roychowdhury.

    They posed questions to the prime minister on the basis of the assertions by the former army chief.

    Why were 2,500 CRPF soldiers not allowed to travel by air despite their request, they asked.

    They also asked as to why were intelligence inputs between January 2, 2019 and February 13, 2019 warning of a terrorist attack ignored.

    “How did the militants procure around 300 kg of explosives? How could this huge quantity remain undetected despite heavy security presence in South Kashmir, especially the Pulwama-Anantnag-Avantipora belt,” Chaudhry said.

    ALSO READ: Centre ‘manipulating’ headlines to divert attention from Satya Pal’s Pulwama allegations: Congress

    Four years after the attack, how far has the inquiry progressed? Why is there a delay in completing the inquiry and letting the nation know its findings? they said.

    At the Congress presser, the two army veterans said that in previous terror attacks, such as the Mumbai attacks in 2011 and the Pathankot attack in 2016, inquiries were held and findings made public.

    “This was essential to establish the truth, fix responsibility, and strengthen India’s national security. In Pulwama too, these serious questions must be addressed,” they said.

    “Therefore, we demand that the government of India publish a white paper on the Pulwama attacks, describing — how the attacks took place, what were the intelligence failures , why troops were denied aircraft, what security lapses occurred and the role of CRPF, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, National Security Advisor and the Prime Minister’s Office,” the veterans said.

    The Congress had on Saturday demanded that the Centre reveal the outcome of the probe into the Pulwama incident and asked why the paramilitary personnel were denied aircraft and made to commute by road despite the terror attack threat.

    BJP’s I-T department head Amit Malviya had on Saturday tweeted an old remark of Malik, who has become a strong critic of the government in recent years, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the best PM for Jammu and Kashmir, to hit out at his U-turn.

    Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress members held a protest here against the government over Malik’s claims. IYC national president Srinivas BV said the sensational disclosure made by Malik is shocking.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break the silence, should tell the country why did you hide the mistake of your own government,” he asked.

  • Major terror plan averted in Jammu on Pulwama attack anniversary, four arrested

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: The Valley has averted what could have been a major tragedy. Police foiled an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack planned by militants in Jammu. A Kashmiri youth studying in Chandigarh was arrested. About 6.5 kg of explosives was recovered from him.

    Police display arms & ammunitionrecovered from a  bus stand inJammu on Sunday | ptiThree more were arrested in this connection. Police says the plan was a blast in a crowded place on the second anniversary of the Pulwama attack. IGP of Jammu Mukesh Singh said police was on high alert after receiving inputs that militants were planning an attack in Jammu. He said that on Saturday evening, policemen on patrol arrested Sohail, who was moving around suspiciously. “We found a bag in his possession and recovered 6.5 kg of IED from it. The IED was not activated,” he said.

    Singh revealed that in Jhang area of Ram Nagar in the border district of Samba, police had recovered six pistols and 15 small IEDs on Saturday evening in a separate operation. Investigations are on to find out if there is a link between those and Sohail. According to police, Sohail is a student of nursing in a college in Chandigarh. “During questioning, he said he was directed by his handler from the Al-Badr group to plant the IED in Jammu,” the IGP said.

    Sohail was apparently given four targets in crowded places – Raghunath Mandir, bus stand, railway station and Lakhdata (jewellers) bazaar. He was asked to choose one. According to the IGP, after placing the IED Sohail had to fly to Srinagar where he was scheduled to meet Athar Shakeel, a top overground worker of Al-Badr. He added that during investigation, it was found that another youth called Qazi Wasim – also studying in a Chandigarh college – had information about the plan.

    ALSO READ | ‘Did not forgive, will not forget’: CRPF on Pulwama terror attack anniversary

    “He has been picked up from Chandigarh and another person, Abid Nabi, has also been arrested,” Singh said.The IGP said with the arrest of these three and timely recovery of the IED, a major danger on the second anniversary of the Pulwama attack was averted.

    Recent arrests of militantsPolicemen on patrol arrested Sohail in Jammu who was moving around suspiciously. The police recently arrested two top militant commanders from the Jammu region and foiled their attempt to establish bases there. Chief commander of Lashkar-e-Mustafa (offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad) Hidayatullah Malik and chief of The Resistance Front (offshoot of Lashkar) Zahoor Ahmad Rather alias Sahil and Khalid were among those arrested.

    In the netArrested Sohail (Jammu), Qazi Wasim (Chandigarh), Abid Nabi (Srinagar), Athar Shakeel Khan (Srinagar)

    In SambaRecovered 6 pistols, 15 small IEDs

  • Home Minister Amit Shah pays tributes to Pulwama martyrs

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday paid tributes to the security personnel killed in the terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, and said their sacrifice would not be forgotten by the people of India.

    Forty CRPF personnel were killed in the terrorist attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad.

    “I bow down to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome Pulwama attack on this day in 2019. India will never forget their exceptional courage and supreme sacrifice,” Shah tweeted.

  • Posthumous gallantry medal for CRPF ASI for bid to stop Pulwama attack 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: An assistant sub-inspector of CRPF who died in a blast while chasing an explosive-laden car in Pulwama in February 2019 is among those who will be awarded gallantry medals at the Republic Day function on Tuesday. He will be among the two who are being honoured with the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry.

    The other President’s Police Medal for Gallantry awardee is Jharkhand police assistant sub-inspector Banua Oraon who died in an anti-Maoist operation in 2018. Both are being awarded posthumously.

    Other 900 gallantry and service medal winners include an Inspector General of the Inod-Tibetan Border Police which has been at the forefront of vigil against PLA forces in Ladakh and two Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers who supervised probe into the Hathras gangrape-and-murder case.

    On February 14, 2019, ASI Mohan Lal was the picket commander of the road opening party at Lethpora in Pulwama on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

    According to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) , at about 3.10 pm Lal noticed a civilian car, running alongside the CRPF convoy passing through the area.

    “Lal sensed something suspicious and rushed to stop the suspicious vehicle. He signalled and chased the car to stop, but could not match the car’s speed. Ultimately, finding no other option, he fired towards the suspicious car to stop, but the car rammed onto a CRPF bus, and a huge blast took place,” Lal’s citation read. The blast killed 40 CRPF soldiers, including Lal.

    ITBP’s Inspector General  Deepam Seth, who heads the force’s Northwest Frontier, is among the 89 recipients of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. Seth has been part of all Corps Commander-level meetings held between Indian and Chinese forces since June last year in Ladakh.

    CBI Joint Directors Sampat Meena and Vineet Vinayak are among six officers from the agency who have been awarded Distinguished Service medals.

    Apart from this, 73 personnel from fire services across the country have been awarded Fire Service Medals.