After the horrifying Pulwama attack that left the country in a massive united distress, a lot of changes are being made. Terror is on the rise again, and fear is spreading into the hearts of humans. The martyr will forever be respected, and their sacrifices will always be etched in our minds.
We cannot do anything more than sympathise, empathise and offer condolences. We cannot bring them back to life. We cannot change the past. But what we can do, is learn about how the incident unfolded, and remember it, so that our memories of them remain untarnished and respected.
We can learn of the after effects of the attack, the responding actions of the government, the participation of other countries to help us and the way the matter settled.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Pulwama Attack: How, When and Where
The Pulwama attack earned its name from the place that it occurred: the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, in India. To be accurate, it occurred on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway at Lethpora, near Awantipora in the Pulwama distance, approximately 20 kilometres from Srinagar.
On February 14th, 2019, when most of the world was happily engaged in a bubble of romance, celebrating Valentine’s Day, 40 police officers underwent a fatal attack. There was a convoy of vehicles carrying more than 2500 security personnel on the Highway. There were 78 buses in all, all carrying Indian paramilitary police officers. They were members of the Central Reserve Police Force, in short, the CRPF.
It was during this travel journey at 15:15 IST (9:45 GST) that a Sport Utility vehicle (SUV) packed with around 300 kilograms worth of explosives was rammed into one of these buses. It was not a chance accident. It was a planned suicide bomber event. The vehicle was driven by a youth, by the name of Adil Ahmad Dar. He was from Kashmir.
This blast led to the death of 40 Central Reserve Police Force officers, as well as the death of the sleeper cell Dar. It also lead to non- fatal injuries to 35 more paramilitary officers.
The responsibility for this attack was claimed by the terror group Jaish- e -Mohammad. India blames Pakistan for this attack, not for sending the terrorist here, but for providing a place for hideout and training camps for the terror camp. This attack was not based on religious terrorism. It was another attempt of the everlasting and tiresome fight between India and Pakistan for the once beautiful but now terrified state of Kashmir.
The names of the 40 martyrs are
- Naseer Ahmad (Jammu and Kashmir)
- Sukhjinder Singh (Punjab)
- Jaimal Singh (Punjab)
- Rohitash Lamba (Rajasthan)
- Tilak Raj (Himachal Pradesh)
- Vijay Soreng (Jharkhand)
- Vasantha Kumar VV (Kerala)
- Subramaniam G (Tamil Nadu)
- Manoja Kumar Behera (Odisha)
- GD Guru H (Karnataka)
- Narayan Lal Gurjar (Rajasthan)
- Mahesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
- Pradeep Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
- Hemraj Meena (Rajasthan)
- PK Sahoo (Odisha)
- Ramesh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)
- Sanjay Rajput (Maharashtra)
- Koushal Kumar Rawat (Uttar Pradesh)
- Pradeep Singh (Uttar Pradesh)
- Shyam Babu (Uttar Pradesh)
- Ajit Kumar Azad (Uttar Pradesh)
- Maninder Singh Attri (Punjab)
- Bablu Santra (West Bengal)
- Ashvni Kumar Kaochi (Madhya Pradesh)
- Rathod Nitin Shivaji (Maharashtra)
- Bhagirath Singh (Rajasthan)
- Virendra Singh (Uttarakhand)
- Awadhesh Kumar Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)
- Ratan Kumar Thakur (Bihar)
- Pankaj Kumar Tripathi (Uttar Pradesh)
- Jeet Ram (Rajasthan)
- Amit Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
- Vijay Kr. Mourya (Uttar Pradesh)
- Kulwinder Singh (Punjab)
- Maneswar Bsumatari (Assam)
- Mohan Lal (Uttarakhand)
- Sanjay Kumar Sinha (Bihar)
- Ram Vakeel (Uttar Pradesh)
- Sudeep Biswas (West Bengal)
- Sivachandran (Tamil Nadu)
These names should forever be revered and remembered as the pride of our nations.
The man responsible for the attack
The man, or rather a 20-something year old youth, who actually took the plunge and drove the SUV into the car, was a troubled young adolescent who cannot be excused for his actions. Dar was identified by his family a few hours after the militant terror group Jaish- e – Mohammad released a video online, claiming responsibility for the attack.
In the video, Dar makes an appearance, a guiltless, shameless appearance. He has no remorse for what he was about to do. He stated that by the time the video would be release, he would already be enjoying in Jannat (Heaven).
Dar’s parents and relatives are shocked and devastated by his actions. He was usually seem as a docile boy in his childhood. Things were first noticed going wrong during the year 2016, when youth militant leader Burbhan Wani was killed.
Dar was among those who went to protest his death, and when the protest turned violent, he was somehow shot in the leg. He was then bed-ridden for 11 months. That was the day that completely change him.
In March 2018, when he was supposed to be giving his 12th standard board exams as a twenty year old, he ran away from home to join the militant group.
The Aftermath of the attack in our country
The attack was absolutely devastating- one of the worst attacks against the Indian Military Force to ever take place. It shocked the country, while we were filled with stories of the soldiers and their shattered families. Candle marches were held all over the country. State funerals of the security personnel were held in their native places.
The government took an active role in the backlash. A curfew was placed in Jammu following protests and riots. The families of the martyred soldiers were granted 12 lakh as an ex-gratia compensation. A government job was also offered to each of the next of the kin.
A new App was also released by President Ram Nath Kovind, called the Veer Premi App. It was only available to the families of martyrs and would give information about all the schemes and grants that such families could benefit from.
In addition, the different communities of India also showed the disapproval of Pakistan strongly. The Cricket Club of India covered the portrait of Imran Khan (Prime Minister of Pakistan). The All Indian Cine Workers Association announced a ban on Pakistani actors and artists in the Indian Film Industry.
The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association also announced a ban on Pakistani artists in films and music produced in India. Indian broadcaster DSport said it would no longer broadcast Pakistan Super League cricket matches. India also revoked Pakistan’s most favoured nation status. The custom duty on Pakistani goods was further increased to 200%.
The most important aftermath is the Surgical Strike. Early on the morning of 26th February, 2019, at 3:30 am, the Indian air force conducted airstrikes in retaliation to the Pulwama Attack. These were carried out in Balakot.
The 12 jets carried 1000 kilograms worth of explosives and was able to target and almost eliminate the biggest Jaish camp. Within 19 minutes, the operation was successfully concluded.
The response of other countries
Most other countries also sympathised with India and made efforts to condemn Pakistan and Jaish – e- Mohammad. Israel offered unconditional help to India to defend itself against terror.
France moved a proposal at the United Nations meeting to ban the Jaish- e- Mohammad chief Masood Ahzar. The United States of America, the United Kingdoms and France have together attempted to compel China to lift its hold on a resolution banning the JeM chief, by the maximum of 23rd April.
Conclusion
The Pulwama attack was a terrifying incident and left our country broken. It is made us more aware, more alert, to the rising flood of terrorism in the world. This is a warning. Be on your watch. We never know what is coming next.
As for these 40 men, their names will always be glorified by any true Indian. While any terrorist, although the name might be remembered, will never earn any respect, love or good thought. Their names will be spat on and they will be only thought of or remembered in disgust.