Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 7 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday declared her firm support for India’s fight against terrorism, affirming that the state stands in solidarity with the national effort to confront threats in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Today, the Home Minister held a meeting with 7-8 Chief Ministers from border areas. Additionally, we convened discussions with key officials from both the central and State government departments. We will stand shoulder to shoulder in this battle alongside those fighting against terrorism and the Pahalgam terror attack. At this moment, there should be no disagreements among us, we are all united in our commitment to work for the country with this shared mindset.”
She also called on news channels to act responsibly, stressing that this is not a time to prioritise TRP ratings but rather to safeguard the country.
“Strict guidelines were discussed in the meeting (with Amit Shah) to counter misinformation being spread via platforms like YouTube, Facebook, TV channels, and digital media. This is not a time to chase TRP ratings; it is a time to protect the nation,” she said.
Earlier today, mock drills were carried out across major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Gwalior, and Jaipur, to evaluate local response capabilities to security challenges.
This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) instructed all states and union territories to carry out the drills to evaluate their preparedness against “new and complex threats.”
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, targeting terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). This operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national.
Hours after India conducted a series of strikes on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh held a media briefing in the national capital to share the details of the operation.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who briefed the media alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, stated that ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families.
Singh reported that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed. She emphasised that the locations were chosen to ensure there was no damage to civilians or their infrastructure.
“Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed… The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives”, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said.
Col Sofiya Qureshi presented the videos of the destruction of terror camps, including from the Muridke and where David Headley and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, received training. Other than Muridke, Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala and Markaz Abbas, Kotli and Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot, were targeted in the strikes conducted by the Indian Army, Col Qureshi informed.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the attack on Pahalgam was driven by an objective of undermining the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The attack in Pahalgam was marked with extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots at close range and in front of their family…the family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message. The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Kashmir,” he said.
India has carried out its deepest strikes inside Pakistan’s undisputed territory since 1971, successfully targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This marks New Delhi’s most significant military action within Pakistani territory in over five decades. (ANI)
, https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/we-are-united-against-terrorism-west-bengal-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee20250507230621
