‘Sacrifices of security personnel won't go in vain': PM Modi on ‘dastardly' Pulwama attack

New Delhi, Feb 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the terrorist attack at a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in strong words and said: "sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain".

Twenty jawans were killed and 40 injured when a suicide bomber rammed a Scorpio car laden with over 300 kg of explosives into a CRPF convoy in Awantipora town of Pulwama district today. The Jaish-e-Mohammad bomber, a Kashmiri local who carried out a suicide strike on a bus carrying CRPF jawans, had loaded his vehicle with over 300 kilograms of explosives.

"Attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama is despicable. I strongly condemn this dastardly attack. The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the families of the brave martyrs. May the injured recover quickly," Modi tweeted.

BJP president Amit Shah also expressed profound grief over the loss of lives in the attack.

"Pained beyond words by the terror attack on our soldiers in Pulwama (J&K). It is an act of cowardice. My deepest condolences are with the families of our soldiers who have lost their lives. Our forces will remain firm against such acts of terror and defeat them," Shah tweeted.

"Spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh Ji and other top officials regarding the situation in the wake of the attack in Pulwama," Modi said in another tweet.

The suicide bomber, Adil alias Waqar, a resident of Pulwama was driving a Scorpio vehicle. He rammed the vehicle into the bus and it is suspected that there were more than 300 kilograms of explosives in his vehicle as a result of which the impact was such.

The incident at Pulwama is the worst since the 2001 attack on the legislative assembly complex. The suicide bombing was the handiwork of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and officials say that it was timed with the death anniversaries of both Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat.