Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik claimed on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him not to speak about lapses that led to the militant attack at Pulwama in 2019.
In an interview with The Wire’s Karan Thapar, Malik said that the attack took place due to the incompetence and negligence of the Central Reserve Police Force and the Union home ministry.
A suicide bomber driving a car filled with explosives collided with a bus transporting CRPF personnel in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, 2019. The attack resulted in the death of 40 CRPF personnel, and it was claimed by the Pakistani militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
On Friday, Malik revealed that the CRPF had requested aircraft to transport their personnel, as such a large convoy does not travel via road. The convoy included over 2,500 personnel and consisted of 78 vehicles.
The former governor told The Wire: “They only needed five aircraft, but these were not provided to them.. I told the prime minister on the same evening that this [the attack] took place because of our mistake. If we had provided them with aircraft, this would not have happened. But he asked me to stay silent about it.”
Malik said he was also advised by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to refrain from discussing the issue.
Citing the interview, the Congress said that the Pulwama attack took place because of the Modi government’s mistake. “You [Modi] should have taken action on this mistake, but you suppressed this fact and set about trying to save your image,” it said. “The country is stunned to hear Satya Pal Malik’s words.”
