Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condemned the terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district today where at least 30 CRPF jawans were martyred and several others were critically injured.
The CM took to Twitter to express his sorrow on the killing of the jawans. “Deeply saddened by the martyrdom of so many CRPF jawans in the terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. (I) strongly condemn the cowardly act and condolences to the bereaved families,” he wrote.
Deeply saddened by the martyrdom of so many @crpfindia #jawans in terrorist attack in #Pulwama district of #JammuAndKashmir. Strongly condemn the cowardly act and condolences to the bereaved families.
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 14, 2019
Earlier in the day, at least 30 CRPF troopers were killed and some 25 others injured when a van packed with explosives reportedly rammed into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said.
In what is being described as one of the biggest loss to the security forces in one single incident, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus was ambushed in Lethpora town, about 30 km from Srinagar.
The incident took place when some 2,547 CRPF personnel were coming in a convoy of 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar.
Police sources said a suicide attacker rammed his vehicle around 3.15 p.m., taking the security forces completely by surprise. An earlier report said an improvised explosive device (IED) was exploded and then militants fired at the convoy.