Govt rules out intelligence failure in Pulwama attack

The Centre on Wednesday ruled out any intelligence failure in the Pulwama attack and said that the NIA has identified the conspirators and suicide attacker responsible for the February 14 terror strike in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said that Jammu and Kashmir is affected by terrorism sponsored and supported from across the border for the last three decades.

"Owing to the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and sustained action against the terrorists by the security forces, a large number of terrorists have been neutralised during the past few years," he said.

When asked whether the reasons of the Pulwama terror attack was the failure of intelligence, Reddy replied in the negative.

"All agencies are working in a coordinated manner and the intelligence inputs are shared among various agencies on real time basis.

"The investigation by NIA into the Pulwama attack so far has resulted in identifying the conspirators, suicide attacker and the vehicle provider," the minister said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on February 20 took over the probe into the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama from the Jammu and Kashmir police.

Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama.

In response to the attack, the Indian Air Force struck a JeM terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot area on February 26.