February 14: A Black Day in the History of India
Some of the dates in history or in our day-to-day life will be glued to our deep subconscious mind. It is either the day that must be special to remember or the day that we never wanted to happen again. February 14 is one such day, on which our brave heroes lost their lives in an inhuman attack led by a suicide bomber from the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed. On Feb 14, 2019 a convoy of 78 vehicles with 2500 CRPF personnels was rammed with an explosive when they were traveling on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The explosive of 300kg (RDX, ammonium nitrate, and petrol/diesel mixture) was carried out in a Mahindra Scorpio SUV driven by a local Kashmiri youth. The vehicle crashed into a CRPF bus which led to a massive explosion and killed 40 CRPF personnel.
India’s Counterattack – Balakot Airstrikes
India launched a counterattack operation, “Operation Bandar” in response to the brutal Pulwama attack. It was meticulously planned by IAF (Indian Air Force) and approved by the Indian Government confidentially before the world knows. In the early hours of Feb 26, 2019, twelve Mirage two thousand fighter jets took off from the Indian Airbases and crossed the LoC (Line of Control) into Pakistan administered Kashmir. They struct the JeM training camp where the suicide bombers were trained with the precision guided bombs in Balakot. Based on the information issued on the trustable sources around three hundred terrorists were eliminated in the strike.
MoS MEA VK Singh on Amit Shah's "More than 250 terrorists were killed" in airstrike: That was based on people who were housed in the buildings which were hit, it's an estimate. He is not saying this is a confirmed figure, he is saying this many might have died. https://t.co/FgsI32uRay
— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019
However, Pakistan denied any major damage and insisted that the bombs fell on an empty area. On Feb 27 Pakistan tried to retaliate the airstrike of India by leading an aerial combat when the IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 was shot down. He was captured but released after the swift diplomatic moves by India.
This event significantly influenced the geo-political dynamics and India-Pakistan relations, leading to heightened military vigilance. Every Year, the day is remembered as “Martyrs Day” by India.
Tributes to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome Pulwama attack last year. They were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting our nation. India will never forget their martyrdom.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2020
