Nowgam blast wake up call for Centre to strengthen intelligence: Kharge
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Srinagar blast is a wake up call for the Central government to strengthen intelligence and anti-terror mechanism, saying that it cannot run away from accountability.
He also demanded an urgent all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism that continues to receive support from external forces.
In an X post, Kharge expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the accidental blast at Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir and called for urgent medical attention to the injured and compensation to them and the next of kin of the deceased.
"It is extremely disconcerting and sad to know that nine precious lives have been lost and 24 people have been injured in a blast at a police station in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir...
"My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. The injured must be treated with prompt medical supervision and adequate compensation must be provided to the victims," Kharge said.
He said these developments come days after the cowardly car blast terror attack near Red Fort in Delhi, and "is a wake up call for the Union government to strengthen intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms. It cannot run away from accountability."
The Indian National Congress stands with the nation against the scourge of terrorism, the party chief asserted.
"In light of the recent Red Fort terror attack, there is an urgent need to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism, which continues to receive backing and support from external forces," he said in the post.
An accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station here, killing nine people and injuring 32, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Nalin Prabhat said on Saturday, while ruling out any sabotage angle.
He said the blast occurred on Friday night when a specialised team was extracting samples from a large and "unstable" cache of explosives confiscated from Haryana's Faridabad district in connection with the ongoing investigation into a "white collar terror module".
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Tejas jet suffered damage to airframe while landing at frontline air base
New Delhi (PTI): A Tejas light combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) sustained major damage to its airframe after it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase following a suspected brake failure earlier this month, authoritative sources said on Sunday.
The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, they said.
It is learnt that the aircraft was returning to the base after carrying out a training sortie.
There was no official word from the IAF on the accident that took place on February 7.
Following the incident, the IAF grounded the entire fleet of around 30 single-seat Tejas jets to carry out an extensive technical scrutiny, the sources said.
It was the third accident involving the Tejas jets. The first one took place in March 2024, when a Tejas jet crashed near Jaisalmer.
The second incident took place in November 2025, when a Tejas jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow.
The latest accident comes at a time when Tejas maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has missed several deadlines to supply the Tejas Mark 1A variant of the aircraft to the IAF.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF.
The delivery of the jets is facing delays primarily due to GE Aerospace missing several deadlines for the supply of its aero engines to power the jets.
The defence ministry in September last year sealed another deal worth Rs 62,370 crore with HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the IAF.
Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.
