Pulwama encounter 'not a failure of govt.': MoS Kiren Rijiju

In the wake of yesterday's Pulwama encounter, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs of India, Kiren Rijiju, on Sunday said that the attack should not be taken as government's failure, and that army's accomplishments in the past months should also be taken into account.

"In the last few months, our security forces and the Army's influence has been prominent, and they have been successful. This incident came as a setback to us and it's a tragedy and a great loss, as eight personnel in total have died from both the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Nevertheless, the action that we started to finish off terrorists will not end yet," Rijiju told the reporters.

Rijiju also conveyed condolence to the families of martyrs, but reasserted that the terrorist operation will not be thwarted by the tragedy.

"In this trying time, we stand with the families of our martyrs. I pray to god for their souls, but as I said, the operation will not stop," he said.

With incremental attacks and cases of insurgency cropping up in the Kashmir valley, the MoS was also asked if the government had failed to take any effective actions.

"This is not a failure of the government because you have to take into account the accomplishments in the last months," he answered.

He refused to divulge the details of further actions, and said that "you will get to know as and when it happens."

Eight security personnel, including four CRPF soldiers and four policemen, were killed in the encounter between the security forces and fidayan terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district yesterday.

In the massive gunfight, three terrorists were also gunned down.

The terrorists had carried out a suicide attack on District Police Lines in south Kashmir's Pulwama.