Sepoy Arvind Singh (L) and Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar. (Photos via special arrangement.)
Jammu/Udhampur/New Delhi: Two Indian Army soldiers were killed in action during a fierce gunbattle with militants in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, the Army said. The encounter, which took place on Friday, also left two other soldiers injured.
This is the latest in the series of fatal encounters with militants in the Jammu division of the Union territory, which has jolted the security establishment and put the security forces on the edge for the last one year. Prior to that, the Jammu region enjoyed relative peace for a decade despite the ongoing militancy in the erstwhile state since the late 1980s.
Friday’s gunbattle erupted in the afternoon in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar, following a cordon-and-search operation launched by the Army and Jammu & Kashmir Police. Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants, the security forces moved in to neutralize the threat.
During the operation, the militants opened fire, leading to a prolonged exchange of gunfire. Sepoy Arvind Singh and Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar were critically injured in the initial exchange of fire. Despite immediate medical attention, both soldiers succumbed to their injuries. The other two injured soldiers were airlifted to an Army hospital for further treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.
Condolences poured over the deaths of Sepoy Arvind Singh and Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar. The general officer commanding (GOC) of the White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, along with all ranks, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, saluting their supreme sacrifice and extending deepest condolences to their families. Veterans and common citizens also paid tribute to the two soldiers on social media.
The encounter comes at a time of heightened security in the region, particularly ahead of the prime minister’s scheduled visit to the UT’s Doda district, which also falls in the Jammu division. Narendra Modi is visiting Doda for electioneering as a star campaigner of his party, BJP, for the UT’s assembly election, which starts next week. Due to this, multi-tier security arrangements have been put in place across the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar in the Jammu region.
Three militants killed in Kashmir encounter
In a related development, security forces also engaged in a separate operation in Baramulla district, where at least three militants were killed, an official from the Northern Army Command said. This operation, which began on Friday night, is still ongoing as security personnel continue to comb the area for any remaining threats.
