Doda encounter: Govt must take responsibility for repeated security lapses, says Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Hours after the killing of four soldiers, including an Army officer, was reported from the encounter site in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress launched an attack on the central government. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the soldiers were bearing the brunt of BJP’s wrong policies.

“Today, our soldiers were martyred in another terrorist encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. I pay my humble tribute to the martyrs and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Such horrific incidents happening one after the other is extremely sad and worrying. These continuous terrorist attacks are revealing the poor condition of Jammu and Kashmir”, the opposition leader posted on X.

“Our soldiers and their families are bearing the brunt of the BJP’s wrong policies. Every patriotic Indian demands that the government should take full responsibility for the repeated security lapses and take strict action against the culprits who harm the country and the soldiers. In this hour of grief, the entire country stands united against terrorism”, he added.

आज जम्मू कश्मीर में फिर से एक आतंकी मुठभेड़ में हमारे जवान शहीद हो गए। शहीदों को विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करते हुए शोक संतप्त परिजनों को गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं।

एक के बाद एक ऐसी भयानक घटनाएं बेहद दुखद और चिंताजनक है।

लगातार हो रहे ये आतंकी हमले जम्मू कश्मीर की जर्जर…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 16, 2024

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned the Central government alleging that the government was acting as if it were business as usual.

“Deeply distressed by the martyrdom of 4 brave Army soldiers, including an officer, in a terror encounter in Jammu & Kashmir’s Doda. Our heart goes out to the families of our bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of Bharat Mata. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, and we wish them a speedy and complete recovery. No words of strong and unequivocal condemnation will suffice for these acts of violence being perpetrated by cowardly terrorists”, the Congress president posted on X.

“The spate of terror attacks that has gripped Jammu and Kashmir in the past 36 days, needs careful recalibration in our security strategy. Modi Govt is acting as if everything is “business as usual” and nothing has changed. They must know that increasingly Jammu region is bearing the brunt of these attacks. We cannot endanger our National Security by indulging in false bravado, fake narratives and high-decibel whitewashing. As a nation, we have to collectively fight the scourge of cross-border terrorism. The Indian National Congress stands strongly with our valiant Armed Forces”, Kharge added.

Earlier, party MP Jairam Ramesh said that there had been 11 terror attacks in 78 years in Jammu alone and the government must answer for this. “There have been 11 terror attacks in the last 78 days in Jammu alone. This is a wholly new development. While we must demonstrate an effective collective response cutting across political parties, the question must also be asked: what happened to all those grand claims made by the self-anointed non-biological PM and the self-styled Chanakya?” Ramesh said in a post on X.

On Monday night, based on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation by the Indian Army and JK Police was in progress in Doda. According to the White Knight Corps, contact with terrorists was established tonight around 9 pm in which heavy firefight ensued. Four Army personnel including an officer were killed in the firefight.

Meanwhile, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday spoke with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday to brief him on the encounter in Doda. (ANI)