Hope Azad will retract statement on civilian killings: Rathore

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore today said he hoped that senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad would retract his reported statement that government actions killed 20 civilians for every four terrorists in Kashmir.

"I would have understood, if these were the words from some terrorist sympathiser but coming from the leader of opposition in RS is sad; Sir, it's the terrorists that kill civilians, Our Army & Police are laying their lives to protect Kashmir. I hope you'll retract your statement," Rathore, the information and broadcasting minister, said in a tweet.

The minister was responding to Azad's reported comment that the muscular policy of the government worked mostly against civilians as it killed 20 civilians for every four terrorists.

Azad comment came a day after the BJP pulled out of the Jammu and Kashmir alliance and promised intensified action against militancy in the state.

Speaking to News18, Azad said, They take action against four terrorists and kill 20 civilians along. Their action is more against civilians than terrorists. For instance, they killed 13 civilians in Pulwama and just one terrorist.