Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said that India was well prepared to tackle situations like the Sydney hostage crisis, which claimed the lives of two Australian citizens and an armed gunman.
"I think we are improving, more prepared than we were in the earlier years. Each situation differs but I think we are well prepared," Parrikar told mediapersons here after he paid tributes to the martyrs at the 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' along with the three service chiefs.
Earlier on Monday, an Iranian-origin man, Haron Monis, took 17 customers and workers hostage at the Lindt Cafe at Sydney's Martin Place and displayed a black flag with Arabic script in the window, sparking a security alert in Australia.
The 16-hour siege ended when heavily armed Australian police stormed into the cafe late on Monday night. The incident reportedly claimed the lives of the manager of the cafe and a 38-year-old woman lawyer besides the gunman.
