Following the stunning revelations made by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik in an interview with The Wire that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans became easy targets after the Narendra Modi government denied their request to travel by aircraft from Jammu to Srinagar, the Congress party has demanded a white paper on the Pulwama terror attack. Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil, Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry, and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya held a joint press conference on Tuesday at the party headquarters, raising serious questions for the Modi government about the lapses that resulted in the deaths of 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama in February 2019.
The Union government and the BJP have remained silent in the aftermath of Malik's remarks, a BJP politician appointed governor by the Modi administration. They have not responded to the views of former army chief General Shankar Roychowdhury, who said, “The primary responsibility behind the loss of lives in Pulwama rests on the government headed by the Prime Minister, who is advised by the national security adviser.”
According to the two military veterans, earlier terror acts, including the Mumbai bombings in 2011 and the Pathankot assault in 2016, were investigated and the results were made public. They said that this was necessary to uncover the truth, assign blame, and boost India's national security. “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 Adviser and the Prime Minister’s Office,” the party leaders demanded Chaudhry asked, “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? 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?” “The tri-service courier of the Air Force is always ready. So, why were troops denied aircraft? These questions come to our mind and they must be answered in a comprehensive report,” said Acharya.
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