Security forces killed a militant in an ongoing counter-insurgency operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian on Wednesday. The Army paid tributes to two soldiers who engaged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘commanders’ in a gunfight in Baramulla.
An official said the unidentified militant was killed during a joint operation of the J&K police, the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF in Molu Chitragam area of Shopian district.
“A militant was killed when the search team came under fire. The operation is on,” the police said.
Lt. Gen. B.S. Raju, Chinar Corps Commander, and DGP Dilbag Singh were among the officials who paid tributes to the two soldiers, killed in the two-day long encounter on Tuesday.
Leading the search team
An Army spokesman said Grenadiers Ravi Kumar Singh and Prashant Singh were leading the search team in pursuit of terrorists, who had opened indiscriminate fire on a joint checkpoint of the CRPF and the J&K police at Kreeri on August 17.
“The soldiers were the first to come into contact with the terrorists during the pursuit. In the ensuing firefight, three terrorists were eliminated. However, the two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds. Despite being grievously injured, they continued to fight,” the spokesman said.
Two top LeT ‘commanders’ were among the three slain militants.
Grenadier Ravi Kumar, 26, had joined the Army in 2013 and belonged to Sadar Tehsil, Mirzapur, in Uttar Pradesh. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Grenadier Prashant, 25, had joined the Army in 2014 and belonged to Paonta Sahib Tehsil, Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh. He is survived by his parents.
The Army also paid tributes to Havildar Rajendra Singh, 39, who was caught in a severe snow blizzard on January 8 in the Rampur Sector along the Line of Control in north Kashmir. “The rescue teams were unable to reach the spot which had got buried under snow owing to the severe winters through the season. The mortal remains of Havildar Singh were finally recovered on August 15 under two feet of snow,” the spokesman said.
Havildar Singh hailed from Ambiwala of Dehradun district and had joined the Army in 2001. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
“The mortal remains of the bravehearts were taken for last rites to their native places.”