Targeting Congress over the Anantnag Encounter, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on September 15 held the Congress party responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people in J&K so far as they accorded Article 370. He further called the encounter a sad incident and claimed that a befitting reply would be given to the terrorists. “It is a very sad incident but a befitting reply will be given...In J&K, Congress accorded article 370 and because of that 40,000 people have lost their lives so far...we have taken strict action against terrorism by Pakistan, in the last 9 years and so many terrorists have been killed...,” said Anurag Thakur.