The Union Home Minister observed one-minute silence before commencing his address to party’s booth level workers for the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on February 14.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reiterated Centre’s vows that martyrdom of CRPF personnel in Pulwama terror attack would not go in vain.

“I assure that sacrifices of our soldiers in the Pulwama terror attack will never go in vain and the country stands shoulder to shoulder at this juncture,” said Mr. Singh addressing party workers at Ranital in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.

“Terrorists have killed 40 of our jawans by making cowardly attack and two of these braves – Manoj Kumar Behea and Prasanna Sahoo - were from Odisha. Words do not suffice to speak in respect of them. I think at present everyone’s heart is swayed by restlessness and anger as to how to avenge the terrorist attack,” Mr. Singh said.

The Union Home Minister observed one-minute silence before commencing his address to party’s booth level workers for the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on February 14.

“Without mincing his words, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already announced that the defence forces have been given full freedom for planning retaliatory action so that sacrifice would not go in vain. Being Home Minister, I assured the same,” he said.

The HM said: “I had convened meeting of all political parties on Saturday. Everyone had condemned terrorist attack in one voice and at the same they censured neighbouring Pakistan. Political parties reassured that they stand united with the forces.

“Defence forces, CRPF personnel and Jammu and Kashmir police have made wonderful job by achieving success in wiping out terrorists. I am not going to give any statistics here. But when forces backed by Pakistan felt that desperation was growing among terrorists, they had perpetrated such act,” he said. The sacrifice would not go in vain, Mr. Singh repeated.

“India has been a proud nation and the position the country is now has been as a result of sacrifice of the jawans of defence forces,” he added.