New Delhi, July 30 : Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre met the same fate that the victims’ families had demanded being “shot in their heads” during Operation Mahadev.
Replying to the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said the investigation had conclusively established that the three terrorists killed in the operation were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, confirming the group’s direct role in the April 22 Pahalgam attack. He described the killings carried out by the terrorists as barbaric, saying that the attackers asked victims their religion before killing them in front of women and children.
While HM Amit Shah starts begining his address Opposition members demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the issue. The demand was rejected by the Chair, leading the Opposition to stage a walkout.
Continuing his speech, Shah criticised Congress leader P. Chidambaram for questioning the authenticity of Operation Sindoor and even demanding his resignation. He accused the Congress of prioritising vote-bank politics over national security, saying that their approach effectively supported Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and terrorists.
Responding to Congress leader Prithviraj Chauhan’s criticism over the naming of the encounter as “Operation Mahadev,” Shah said that the war cry “Har Har Mahadev” had been used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during his battles with the Mughals and that similar slogans are used by Indian armed forces across different faiths, reflecting valour rather than religious connotations.
Shah also addressed doubts raised about the timing of the operation, stating that the CRPF, Army, and J&K Police operated under extremely challenging conditions in difficult terrain, even relying on drone-delivered food supplies as they tracked the terrorists before eliminating them. (Agencies)