National News
Government not taking the lives of armed forces seriously, alleges Scindia
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Tuesday, accused the government of not respecting the lives of armed forces.
Raising the issue of fidayeen attack on CRPF battalion on Sunday, Mr. Scindiapointed out the attack was carried out just a few days after the National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan held a meeting in Bangkok.
“Why did the government not act on information received?” Mr. Scindia asked. He also criticised BJP MP Nepal Singh’s remarks that “army personnel die every day.”
Responding to Mr. Scindia, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government has high regards for the armed forces and accused the opposition of politicising the issue. “The opposition may want to politicise it, but we don’t want to.”
“All the three terrorists who carried the attack have been killed. Over 200 militants were killed in the last year,” he said.
Following this, junior minister in the defence ministry Hansraj Ahir credited the armed forces for the dip in the militant attack in Kashmir last year. “The government is providing everything possible in terms of equipment to combat (cross-border terrorism). We are also considering a report by Lieutenent-General Philip Campose and team to strengthen major installations in the country.”
In a pre-dawn strike, five CRPF men were killed while three others injured when heavily armed terrorists stormed the camp of the paramilitary force at Lethpora in Pulwama district on Sunday.
The attack was claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The two militants whose bodies were recovered on December 31 were Manzoor Ahmad Baba from Drubgam (Pulwama) and Fardeen Ahmad Khanday from Nazeempora (Tral). Khanday was the son a serving policeman. The identity of the third militant is yet to be ascertained.
