New Delhi, Feb 15 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening led the nation in paying homage to the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan-based JeM.
PM, along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Information and Broadcasing Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the chiefs of the three services among others paid their respect to the slain CRPF personnel at the Palam Airport , where the bodies of martyrs were brought by a special aircraft on Friday evening.
At Palam Technical area, Prime Minister walked around 40 coffins draped in tricolour and paid respects to the CRPF personnel killed.
. The bodies were received by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior officials of the CRPF at the Palam Technical area.
Wreath was laid on the bodies of the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the attack. The slain personnel were given the guard of honour.
During the wreath laying ceremony Congress chief Rahul Gandhi stood alongside Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and was seen softly interacting briefly.
The bodies will be sent to their native places where a state funeral will be given to them.
Over 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir around 3.15 pm on Thursday.
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into CRPF bus killing many and triggering a major conflict between India and Pakistan as New Delhi sought 'complete isolation' of the western neighbour.
The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack that took place about 20 km from Srinagar, officials said.
Earlier on Friday, displaying a unique gesture, in Srinagar Home Minister Rajnath Singh turned a pallbearer accompanying CRPF officials while carrying the bodies.
The PM had, in two functions - one in Delhi and in Jhansi - assured the nation that the martyrdom of CRPF personnel will be avenged.
Speaking on the occasion of flagging off country's first semi-high speed trainset Train 18, titled the Vande Bharat Express, from New Delhi Railway station, the PM, in a strong message to Pakistan in wake of the terror attack said the perpetrators behind the act 'will have to pay"" and that security forces have been given full freedom to take action against the terrorists.
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I want to tell the terror organisations that they have committed a mistake. I assure the country that powers and people responsible for this terror attack will definitely be punished,'the PM said.
In an reference to Pakistan, The PM said, ' If our neighbour which is totally isolated in the world thinks it can destabilise India through its tactics and conspiracies, then it is making a big mistake.'
Recognizing that after the Pulwama attack, the situation and the atmosphere are full of grief and indignation, the PM said the country will fight back such dastardly acts of terror.
'Every Indian will give befitting reply to every such attack. Many nations have extended their support and I'd like to thank them. We will have to unite against terrorism," PM Modi said.
Mr Modi also said announced that armed forces have been given 'freehand' to decide about the time, location and military strategy to teach the perpetrators of the attack a befitting lesson.
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