Cannot rule out possibility of another big attack on India's coastline: Rajnath

Kollam: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India could not rule out the possibility of another big attack by terrorists on its coastline, the 16th largest in the world. He was referring to an attack like the 26/11 attack carried out in Mumbai by terrorists from Pakistan.

Speaking at the 66th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi at Kollam in Kerala, Singh added that the government is committed to strengthening its coastal and maritime security.

"We cannot rule out that our neighbouring country's terrorists can carry out a big incident on our coastline which extends from Kutch to Kerala. As a Defence Minister, I would like to assure you that our country's maritime security is strong and solidified. We are completely committed to coastal and maritime security," Singh said.

Singh added that India would not let anyone who bothered them "rest in peace" while referring to the air-force strike in Balakot in response to the Pulwama attack.

"You know that after some days of Pulwama incident, our air force conducted airstrike at Balakot in Pakistan. We do not bother anyone, but if anyone bothers us, we will not let them rest in peace," Singh said.

He also asked not to forget the sacrifice of our soldiers. "The country that does not remember the sacrifice of its soldiers is not respected anywhere in the world," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)