Home Minister P Chidambaram today accepted "full responsibility" for the Dantewada massacre of a CRPF contingent by Naxalites and said the "buck stops at my desk".
"I have been asked directly or indirectly where the buck stops after the attack. The buck stops at my desk," he said at a CRPF function in New Delhi.
Chidambaram said after his return to New Delhi from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, a day after the massacre of 75 CRPF men and a state policeman in the Naxal strike, he had given it in writing to prime minister Manmohan Singh that, "I accept full responsibility".
He did not go any further, saying, "Let me not elaborate."
Addressing the 'Shourya Diwas' (valour day) of CRPF, Chidambaram lauded the sacrifice of the paramilitary forces and said the government was trying to ensure that personnel from it were well-paid, well-housed and well-equipped.
He also said that his ministry will ensure that the families of slain jawans received compensation by the end of this month and one member from each of them got a job.
Noting that the government will always stand by the security forces, the Home Minister said they performed duties so that people could live in freedom, liberty and democracy.
"I am proud of the innumerable duties the CRPF is called upon to perform. I salute all those who laid down their lives and my heart goes out to their families," Chidambaram said.
