40 jawans were killed and over 35 were injured in what was one of the most gruesome terror attacks in history that took place five years ago on February 14.
It led to a massive crackdown on militancy in the Valley, reduced instances of stone-pelting and restricted movement of civilians. Some even attribute the attack and the government's response as reasons for BJP's landslide victory for a second term.
Excerpted from 'Kashmir at the Crossroads' by Sumantra Bose, with permission from Pan Macmillan.
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On February 14 last year, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in the attack.