Political drama happened over Pulwama bravehearts at Delhi airport; I was locked in a room: Rahul (WATCH)

On the Pulwama terror attack anniversary, the Congress party once again claimed a cover-up on the part of the government. In a video shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Congress and its former president Rahul Gandhi claimed that "countless questions have yet to be answered" about the terror attack that claimed the lives of 40 bravehearts. The 11-minute 26-second video shows relatives of the deceased soldiers lamenting about how five years since the Pulwama terror attack, they were yet to find closure and narrated tales of unkept promises.

The video also features an interaction between Rahul Gandhi and former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik with the latter once again questioning why such a large number of soldiers were sent in buses and not flown out in aircraft. Rahul claimed that he was locked in a room when the bravehearts' mortal remains were flown into the Delhi airport. He claimed that he had to fight his way out of the room. He further claimed that a "political drama" was being played out at the airport. To this, Malik states that Prime Minister Modi should have flown to the state two days earlier to pay respects

Also in the video are some veterans who claimed that how troop movement was allowed despite inputs that forces' convoy would be targeted. They also sought to know how such large quantities of explosives were smuggled into the country. 

Pulwama Attack Anniversary Today

On February 14, 2019, Pulwama, India, was rocked by a devastating terror attack when a suicide bomber belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed targeted a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. The bomber, identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, detonated an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus on the Jammu-Kashmir National Highway, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 40 CRPF lives. The attack occurred around 3:15 pm local time as the convoy was en route from Jammu to Srinagar, causing nationwide shock and grief.

In the aftermath, India strongly condemned the incident and squarely blamed Pakistan for harboring and supporting terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The Ministry of External Affairs accused Pakistan of granting "full freedom" to Masood Azhar, the leader of JeM, to operate within its borders, demanding immediate action to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and cease support for such groups. However, Pakistan denied these allegations.

In a show of solidarity, Indian political parties rallied behind the government and security forces following the Pulwama attack. India took decisive measures against Pakistan, including raising customs duty on Pakistani goods to 200% and revoking Pakistan's status as the Most Favored Nation (MFN). Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that security forces had been given full autonomy to retaliate against the attack, warning that terrorists would face severe consequences.

Subsequently, on February 26, 2019, Indian security forces launched a counter-attack, dubbed 'Operation Bandar,' conducting airstrikes on JeM camps in Pakistan's Balakot region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Utilizing Israeli-made "smart bombs" and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, India targeted a key training center for JeM and other terrorist organizations. This marked India's first aerial assault on Pakistani soil since the 1971 war.

In response, Pakistan retaliated on February 27, 2019, with several of its F-16 fighter jets breaching Indian airspace, attempting to target military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Indian Air Force successfully repelled the attack, downing one F-16 aircraft. Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan also captured an Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was later released on March 1, 2019.