Doubt if CRPF followed standard procedures properly: Parrikar on Pampore attack

Parrikar said he “doubted if the SOP was followed properly” while noting that the clear picture will emerge after the inquiry.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar expressed doubt on Sunday if the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was followed properly by the bus-borne CRPF personnel who were attacked by militants at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar expressed doubt on Sunday if the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was followed properly by the bus-borne CRPF personnel who were attacked by militants at Pampore. (ANI File Photo)

Parrikar said he “doubted if the SOP was followed properly” while noting that the clear picture will emerge after the inquiry.

“We will only get to know the exact reason after the inquiry,” Parrikar told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

The minister termed the killing of eight CRPF personnel at Pampore as an act of “frustration” on part of Pakistani terrorists several of whom were killed by Indian forces in past one year.

“In last one year, we have eliminated over 25 terrorist from Pakistan who had infiltrated into our country. It was an act of frustration,” he said.

Eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and 21 others wounded when terrorists rained bullets on the bus carrying them in Pulwama district on Saturday.