Something obviously went wrong in Uri, says Manohar Parrikar

Admitting that there must have been “lapses” and blunders in Uri which led to the death of 18 soldiers at the hands of four terrorists inside an Army base on Sunday, Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday that he will ensure that this does not happen again.

“Obviously something must have been wrong. I will not go into the details of it. It is a very sensitive matter,” Mr Parrikar said at a function here.

“When something goes wrong, while you try to correct it, you should also ensure that it does not happen again. We will definitely find out what went wrong and also take steps to ensure it does not go wrong again. Country needs to ensure that repetition of wrong does not repeat again and again,” he said.

On Sunday, four terrorists crossed the Line of Control near Uri, breached several security layers and lobbed grenades before letting loose a volley of gunfire from AK-47 assault guns. The final toll: 18 soldiers killed and more than 20 injured. A team of paracommandos flown in from Srinagar later gunned down the terrorists after a good three-hour-long gunfight.

Investigations are also focusing on the possible involvement of some insider as the nature of the attack reveals that the militants were well aware of the layout and other details of the camp. Sources said a number of civilians had been roped in during the turnover exercise when the Dogra regiment was being replaced by Bihar.

“This is normal as civilian help is taken for doing minor work when the turn over exercise is undertaken by the Army. It is possible that some labourers might have leaked inside information about the camp. This aspect is being thoroughly investigated,” a senior security official said.

Mr Parrikar said the government is working towards ensuring that the perpetrators of the deadly Uri attack are punished and it will “not sleep over” terror being pushed into India from across the border.

“This country is a very responsible power, but that does not mean I will sleep over this kind of terrorism that is being pushed from across. How do I do it is entirely for the government under the Prime Minister to decide,” he said.

Dismissing reports about Pakistan’s threat of use of tactical nukes, the minister remarked that “empty vessel makes more sound and the person who has strength, usually makes less noise”.

After Sunday’s attack, there has been a flurry of high-level meetings between top officials of the Army, home ministry and security agencies with the top leadership of the government. On Wednesday too, Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.