New Delhi: The family members of some of the 40 soldiers who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack are demanding an investigation into the horrific incident in the wake of startling revelations made recently by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik during an interview for The Wire.
Bhagirath
Parashuram, the father of one of the slain soldiers Bhagirath, told The Wire that several questions bothered him since the fateful day on February 14, 2019, suggesting that Malik’s revelations validate his belief that the Pulwama attack was a “political stunt orchestrated by the government”.
“I am 100% confident that it’s all about being in power, and the Modi government has done this to get the chair [to get re-elected],” Parashuram says without mincing his words.
Delving into what transpired on the day of the incident, he sought to ask how could a vehicle loaded with nearly 200 kgs of explosives could make its way out of nowhere and blow up the bus ferrying the jawans. “Where was the prime minister at that time? Was he sleeping?” asks an angry Parashuram.
After Malik’s interview with Karan Thapar, the opposition revived its demand for answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi about intelligence failure. Malik had said that the Pulwama terror attack happened only because of the Modi government’s “incompetence” and lives could have been saved had the Union home ministry transported soldiers in aircraft, which the army had requested for. The former governor had also said that he was asked to remain “silent” when he pointedly told Modi that his government’s “incompetence” cost the lives. At the time of the incident, Malik was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, which at that time was under the President’s Rule.
Vikram, the brother of Jeetram who lost his life in the terror attack, is calling for an investigation into his brother’s “untimely demise”. His brother was 30 years old when he died.
Jeetram
Speaking to The Wire, Vikram says his family is still in grief over his brother’s death. “Only those who lose their family member would know how it feels.”
Vikram, however, adds that Malik should have spoken about the time of the incident.
The family of Rohitash is equally distraught and continues to live in grief years after the incident. Rohitash’s brother, Jitendra, says he is concerned about the lives of other soldiers after he heard what happened to his brother due to the government’s “incompetence”.
“What happened to those soldiers should not happen to anyone else. The home ministry shouldn’t have said no to the request for aircraft to ferry jawans. It is the responsibility of the government to arrange what soldiers ask for,” adds Jitendra.
On Malik’s claims, he says, “Satyapal Malik is such a man that he is not afraid of anyone, and I believe that whatever he says is right.”
Recently, General (Retired) Shankar Roychowdhury, a former chief of the Indian Army, also said the blame for the deaths of soldiers lies with the government, headed by the Prime Minister. He told The Telegraph that both the prime minister and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval must take responsibility for the intelligence failure that led to the incident.
Meanwhile, on Monday, April 17, the Congress party staged a protest in Pune, demanding answers from the Prime Minister for the Pulwama fiasco. Several Congress leaders, including Maharashtra state unit chief, Nana Patole, participated in the protest. While the Opposition continues to keep up the heat on the government with protests and criticism, the government and the ruling BJP are yet to respond to the revelations by Malik.
