Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s party Shiv Sena on Tuesday called for a surgical strike to avenge the killing of five security personnel in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara two days ago. In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party said that it is not a good sign that five brave men were killed in one go on India’s own land.


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The Sena editorial further stated that all this happened when a strong and quite patriotic government is in power at the Centre. The country has forgotten "Kashmir war" due to the war situation triggered by COVID-19, but Pakistan has not, the former NDA constituent said in its mouthpiece.


Noting that the armed forces recently saluted the efforts of frontline workers in the battle against COVID-19 by conducting fly-pasts and showering flower petals on hospitals, the Shiv Sena said the fight against coronavirus and the appreciation of policemen, doctors and nurses will continue, but Kashmir cannot be ignored".


"Let there be a surgical strike to avenge the martyrdom of the five jawans. It is not a good sign that five of our jawans are killed in one go, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.


It may be recalled that the Indian armed forces had carried out retaliatory surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC, with the Army targeting terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK after the Uri terror attack in September 2016. Opposition parties like the Congress had later accused the BJP of using the surgical strike for political gains.


The attacks by terrorists have gone up along the Kashmir border while India is battling coronavirus crisis, it said, and alleged "India has forgotten the Kashmir war due to the situation triggered by COVID-19, but Pakistan has not."


Without naming any party or government, the Sena said somebody should also shower petals on the kin of the five security personnel killed in the Handwara encounter. It said the security personnel who made supreme sacrifices for the country included a Muslim, and asked those who are into Hindu-Muslim politics not to forget this.


An Army Colonel and a Major were among five security personnel killed in an encounter with terrorists at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara area two days back. The deceased included Colonel Ashutosh Sharma - Commanding Officer of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh and Lance Naik Dinesh and JKP sub-inspector Shakeel Qazi.


The Sena said Colonel Sharma’s daughter marked her birthday on May 1 and he died protecting the country on May 3. There was lockdown in Kashmir ever since Article 370 was scrapped (last year) and the infiltrators carried out attacks during the lockdown, the Marathi daily said.


It has to be admitted that the Article could be scrapped because of the strong intentions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. But, the killings of Indian soldiers still continued there, the Shiv Sena said.