Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to the 40 CRPF jawans, who lost their lives in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 last year, and said that the country will never forget their martyrdom.
Modi described the CRPF personnel as 'exceptional individuals' who devoted their lives by serving the country.
"Tributes to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome Pulwama attack last year. They were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting our nation. India will never forget their martyrdom," the Prime Minister tweeted.
It was around 3:00 pm on this day last year, when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist rammed a vehicle carrying explosives into the Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) convoy on Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
Around 40 CRPF personnel were killed when their convoy was targeted by the suicide bomber of Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pulwama district.
Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after the convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2,500 CRPF personnel were traveling from Jammu to Srinagar, came under attack.
Nationwide protests erupted against the dastardly terror attack even as the country bid goodbye to its bravehearts. Leaders across the party lines and civil society condemned the attack and called for an appropriate response.
Days after the attack, the Indian Air Force on February 26 carried out multiple aerial strikes at JeM terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot, killing a "large number" of terrorists and destroying their infrastructure.
( With inputs from ANI )