The security situation in Kashmir is better than that in West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said at an event in Kolkata which drew sharp criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

However, when asked later, Sinha warned against “twisting” his remarks politically and said he meant to draw parallels between the law and order situations in both Kashmir and Bengal. “My remarks should not be twisted politically, as I meant to say that the security situation in Kashmir is as good as in Bengal.”

Reacting to Sinha’s statement, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh urged him “not to misuse the chair of the Lieutenant Governor”.

The L-G’s remark came a day after four soldiers were killed in J&K’s Rajouri district after a group of terrorists ambushed two Indian Army vehicles. Two of the slain soldiers were reportedly mutilated by the terrorists. “Indian Army and White Knight Corps salute the bravery and supreme sacrifice of four soldiers in Surankote yesterday while fighting the scourge of terrorism,” White Knight Corps or XVI Corps wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Sinha condemned the attack and made a veiled reference to Pakistan and said “our neighbour” has been disrupting the peace in the valley. “It is a very unfortunate and sad incident. We condemn such violence. Our neighbour has been doing such things to disturb the peace in the valley. But it’s all in vain, as terrorism is on its deathbed in Kashmir.”

He also said the security situation in Kashmir has improved to a large extent after the abrogation of Article 370 from the Indian Constitution as compared to earlier.

“J&K is now charting a historic path since the abrogation of Article 370. A solid foundation has been built for the industrial development. Investing in J&K will be a wise choice for those seeking growth,” he added.