Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday paid tribute to the 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, marking six years since the incident in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amit Shah was addressing a gathering at the closing ceremony of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani. At the event, Shah highlighted the sacrifices made by the soldiers, stating that their actions not only secured the nation but also led to a strong response to the terrorists.
Shah underlined that the attack marked a turning point in India’s global stance on terrorism, sending a clear message that the country’s borders and soldiers should never be underestimated.
Speaking at the gathering, Amit Shah said, “On this day in 2019, our 40 soldiers lost their lives in Pulwama. The sacrifice of these soldiers not only made our country safer but after it, PM Modi gave a befitting reply to Pakistan by carrying out an airstrike.”
“This is also the reason that the worldview of our country has changed. It was a message that India’s ‘seema and sena’ (border and soldiers) are not to be trifled with. I pay my heartfelt tributes to the 40 soldiers who dedicated their lives to the nation,” said Shah.
At the closing ceremony of the 38th National Games, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also presented prizes to the top three performers–Services and Sports Control Board, Maharashtra, and Haryana–in the 38th National Games.
Amit Shah also highlighted the achievement of numerous national records in shooting, weightlifting, and athletics, expressing optimism for India’s future performance in international competitions at the event.
He also announced that the host state, Uttarakhand, would hand over the National Games flag to Meghalaya, with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma revealing plans to involve all seven northeastern states in hosting various sports disciplines for the next edition of the Games.
“Many national records have been made in disciplines of shooting, weighting, and athletics during the Games here. These records have given India hope of securing medals in international events. Host Uttarakhand will pass the flag of the National Games to Meghalaya. CM Conrad Sangma has decided to include all 7 states of the northeast to host different sports disciplines during the next National Games, said Shah.
Earlier in the day, CM Dhami received Amit Shah at the Army helipad in Haldwani.
In a post on X, Shah termed terrorism as the ‘biggest’ enemy of the entire human race.
“On behalf of the grateful nation, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the soldiers who were martyred in the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama on this day in the year 2019,” the Union Home Minister said.
Underscoring the BJP-led NDA government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against terrorism, he said, “Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the entire human race, and the whole world has united against it. Be it a surgical strike or an air strike, the Modi government is determined to destroy the terrorists by running a campaign with a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against them.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday also paid tribute to the 40 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi said, “Homage to the courageous heroes we lost in Pulwama in 2019. The coming generations will never forget their sacrifice and their unwavering dedication to the nation.”
Today marks six years since the Pulwama terror attack when 40 valiant Indian soldiers were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an IED-laden vehicle into the security convoy carrying them.
In a retaliatory strike, the Indian Air Force carried out multiple aerial strikes on February 26, 2019, at JeM terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot, killing a “large number” of terrorists and destroying their infrastructure.
The air strike was launched in the early hours of February 26, and Pakistan’s efforts to launch an offensive the next day to target Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir were thwarted by an alert IAF.
In the dogfight, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, flying a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane and chasing Pakistani jets, crossed over to PoK, where his aircraft was shot down. He was taken into custody by Pakistan. India also shot down a Pakistani fighter jet. (ANI)
