Doda attack: Def Min speaks to Army chief; Cong asks govt to take responsibility for security lapses

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi on the anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, in which four Army personnel, including an officer, have been killed.

"Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh spoke to CoAs, General Upendra Dwivedi this morning. RM was apprised of the ground situation and the ongoing Counter Terrorist Op in Doda by the Army Chief," Singh's office said on X.

In a tweet, the defence minister said he is saddened by the deaths of soldiers in the counter-terrorist operation and added that the "soldiers remain committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and restore peace in the region."

Cong slams govt over the attack

Meanwhile, the Congress hit out at the Centre over the deaths of soldiers in Doda and asked what happened to all those "grand claims" made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu and Kashmir.

Calling the attack extremely sad and worrying, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked the government to take full responsibility for the repeated security lapses in the region.

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said he was deeply distressed by the martyrdom of the four soldiers.

"Our heart goes out to the families of our bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of Bharat Mata. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery," he said.

No words of strong and unequivocal condemnation will suffice for these acts of violence being perpetrated by cowardly terrorists, he said.

"The spate of terror attacks that has gripped Jammu and Kashmir in the past 36 days, needs careful recalibration in our security strategy. The Modi government is acting as if everything is 'business as usual' and nothing has changed. They must know that increasingly the Jammu region is bearing the brunt of these attacks," Kharge said.

"We cannot endanger our national security by indulging in false bravado, fake narratives and high-decibel whitewashing. As a nation, we have to collectively fight the scrouge of cross-border terrorism," he said.

"The Indian National Congress stands strongly with our valiant armed forces," Kharge said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of martyrdom of four soldiers, including an army officer, in an encounter with terrorists in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is extremely saddening.

"My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We will all remain forever indebted to the brave soldiers and their families who made the supreme sacrifice," she said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh too asked what happened to all those grand claims.