Nirmal Singh's remark on Burhan Wani an insult security forces: Ashok Pandit

Mumbai, July 31 (ANI): Veteran film maker Ashok Pandit expressed shock over Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirnal Singh's remark that the killing of Burhan Wani was an "accident", stating that the remark was an insult to the security forces who died fighting against the Hizbul Mujahideen commander. "We are shocked with the statement of Jammu and Kashmir's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh that killing of Burhan Wani was an accident. It is shocking that the Deputy Chief Minister of a state where security forces are laying down their lives has said it. This statement is an insult to the security forces who have laid down their lives, who died while fighting Burhan Wani," Singh told ANI He further sought explanation from Singh and asked the state government to do the same. "A very wrong signal has been sent by the Deputy Chief Minister. There was so much unrest in the state after Wani was killed. We demand an explanation from Nirmal Singh and ask the government to seek an explanation. It is matter of state's internal security." Singh's comment also drew the ire of National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah who tweeted "The #BJPDP Deputy CM calls the Burhan Wani encounter & death "an accident" 50 people have died & countless injured after this "accident"." Nirmal Singh had, yesterday, stated that the entire Burhan Wani episode was an 'accident within another accident' When asked about Wani's killing and the recent remarks made by certain leaders about it, Singh said the security forces had no prior information and the identification of bodies was done after the terrorists were killed. "If there was any prior information then we could have taken some precautions. We did know about the terrorists....This was an accident. We did not know beforehand. Terrorists have to be dealt with guns," he said. However, Singh later clarified saying that he never called Burhan Wani's death in the encounter with security forces as an 'accident' "I was asked a question by a correspondent if the state government had failed after Burhan Wani's killing, and I was only explaining that because it was a routine anti-terrorist operation, had security forces known, they would have taken better precautions" he said. (ANI)