Lest we forget: Army bids a flowery farewell to its fallen heroes in Rajouri
Based on specific intelligence, joint operations were launched in the Kalakote area of Gulabgarh forest in Rajouri on Nov 19, where five army soldiers, including two captains, were killed in action
Updated: Nov 24th, 2023
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| Image: X (@@kamranalimir) |
The bone-chilling nights of Jammu and Kashmir grew even colder as five bravehearts of the country laid their lives serving the nation.
In the foggy morning of the valley, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, general officer commanding-in-chief (GoC-in-C) of northern command lieutenant general Upendra Dwivedi and the state police chief RR Swain paid floral tributes to the five Army personnel killed in Rajouri operation.
Northern army commander lieutenant general Upendra Dwivedi also paid tributes in the same ceremony.
Based on specific intelligence, joint operations were launched in the Kalakote area of Gulabgarh forest in Rajouri on Nov 19, where five army soldiers, including two captains, were killed in action.
Who were the five fallen soldiers?
Captain MV Pranjal (63 RR) of Mangalore (Karnataka), captain Shubham Gupta (9 Para) of Agra (Uttar Pradesh), havildar Abdul Majid (Para) of Ajote in Poonch (J&K), lance naik Sanjay Bist of Halli Padli area of Nainital (Uttarakhand) and paratrooper Sachin Laur of Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) laid their lives in the 30-hour-long encounter.
The bodies of the five martyred soldiers were brought to Jammu where a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Army’s general hospital.
Before being brought to Jammu city, a wreath-laying ceremony was also organised by the Army at the Army hospital in Rajouri town.
Commanding officers of romeo force, senior police and civil administration officials laid wreaths and paid tributes to the martyred men.
Who are captain Shubham Gupta, other matyrs?
Agra sank in sorrow as captain Gupta, a resident of the Taj city in Uttar Pradesh, lost his life serving the nation.
Captain Gupta, who donned olive greens in 2015, later got commissioned into the ninth battalion of the Army’s elite parachute regiment, more popularly known as the 9 Para SF (special forces).
The family of the young officer was also preparing for his marriage, as he was set to visit home on holiday.
Another fallen soldier, Sachin Laur, a resident of Aligarh, UP, who was serving as a paratrooper, was about to get married on Dec 8.
Captain Pranjal is survived by his wife Aditi, while captain Gupta is survived by his father advocate Basant Kumar Gupta.
Havildar Majid is survived by his wife Sagera Bi and three children, while lance naik Bisht leaves behind his mother, Manju Devi and paratrooper Laur leaves behind his mother, Bhagvati Devi.
Who was Quari?
While the forces suffered five casualties on their side, two terrorists, including a top LeT commander and sniper, identified as Quari, were also neutralised on Nov 23.
According to 16 corps of the Indian Army, one of the slain terrorists Quari of Pakistan was a highly motivated and trained terrorist who was active in the area for more than a year, according to reports.
Quari and his associates were eliminated, and large quantities of ‘war- like stores’ were recovered.
Quari was known to be the mastermind behind the Dangri incident, which claimed six innocent civilians lives on Jan 23, as well as the Kandi attacks in Rajouri and Poonch areas, which left five soldiers dead in May this year. He was instrumental in the revival of terrorism in these districts.
(With inputs from IANS)
