As the nation paid tributes to the 40 CRPF personnel, who were martyred in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama a year ago, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday questioned who “benefitted” from the terror attack.

Further targeting the ruling BJP, Rahul Gandhi asked about the outcome of the inquiry into the attack. He also questioned “who in the BJP Govt has been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack”.

The BJP hit back, claiming that the Congress leader had given a “clean chit” to Pakistan in the case.

“…allowed the attack? Are you, Mr Gandhi, suggesting that Pakistan is not responsible for the attack in Pulwama? Why would you insist on giving them a clean chit? Did you not see the Indian forces take out terrorists in Balakot? Are you disappointed that India took resolute action?” tweeted BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya.

…allowed the attack? Are you, Mr Gandhi, suggesting that Pakistan is not responsible for the attack in Pulwama? Why would you insist on giving them a clean chit? Did you not see Indian forces take out terrorists in Balakot? Are you disappointed that India took resolute action? https://t.co/Eu7EYy8QZs

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 14, 2020

According to a report in NDTV, the BJP further said: “Rahul Gandhi is a ‘known sympathiser’ of LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed; it chooses to target not just the government but security forces as well.”

It said such comments help Pakistan counter India on international platforms.

Some vehicles in a convoy of 78 buses carrying around 2,500 security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway were rammed by an explosive-laden vehicle driven by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad at Lethpora in Pulwama district on February 14 last year, resulting in the death of over 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and the attacker.

A Court of Inquiry, as well as an internal inquiry by the CRPF into the attack, were ordered, though the government is yet to reveal their reports.

Days later, in the wee hours of February 26, the Indian Air Force bombed terror group Jaish-e Mohammed’s biggest training camp near Balakot, deep inside Pakistan, in retaliation to the deadly terror attacks.

On February 27, Pakistani fighters retaliated and transgressed into the Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir and tried to target Indian military installations before they were chased away.

In the dogfight, one F-16 of Pakistan Air Force was shot down by an IAF MiG-21 Bison. The F-16 crashed and fell across the LoC in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was hit and he landed on the other side of the LoC. He returned home on March 1 after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced he would be released as a “gesture of peace”.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay his tributes to the martyred soldiers. “India will never forget their martyrdom”, he said.