Srinagar: With the death toll in Thursday Pulwama terrorist strike touching 45 today, it has come to notice that at least two Odia jawans have also attained the martyrdom during the attack.
The slain jawans have been identified as Prasanna Kumar Sahu of 61 Battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a resident of Shikhar village under Naugaon police limits and Manoj Kumar Behera of Ratanpur in Niali of Cuttack district.
The attack of yesterday which is being dubbed as the worst ever since armed insurgency started in the state in 1989 killed all 44 CRPF men who were traveling in a bus near Lethpora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway at around 3.15 pm. Later, another person travelling in a nearby bus also succumbed.
A Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terrorist dashed an explosive-laden SUV into the bus to kill the jawans.
In view of the attack, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has returned from Sweden. She will attend a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security at 9.15 am, say report.
Ms Kalinga