A captain of the Indian Army from the 48 Rashtriya Rifles was killed, and four terrorists were believed to be gunned down during an ongoing encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Wednesday.
A civilian was also injured in the encounter that broke out a day ahead of Independence Day and is the latest in a series of incidents in Jammu region that has witnessed a spike in violence.
The White Knight Corps condoled the demise of Captain Deepak Singh and said it stands firm with the bereaved family in the hour of grief.
“All Ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps salute the supreme #sacrifice of #Braveheart Capt Deepak Singh who succumbed to his injuries,” the White Knight Corps wrote on X.
What we know so far - Top updates
- According to officials, the captain was leading the charge at Shivgarh Dhar in Assar in Doda. The young captain was critically injured and shifted to a military hospital where he breathed his last, officials said.
- The encounter first began around 6pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. It was paused after a while and a cordon was established overnight, officials said.
- On Wednesday morning, the cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt resumed, and a gunfight broke out around 7:30am in a thickly forested area.
- The terrorists, who are holed up in a riverine in Assar, crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in adjacent Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire with the security forces.
- Four blood-soaked rucksacks were recovered from the site, leading officials to believe that four terrorists were killed. M-4 carbines were also found, the officials said.
Also read: Shot fired outside pvt hospital: Two held after encounter in Karnal, one hurt
{{/usCountry}}What we know so far - Top updates
- According to officials, the captain was leading the charge at Shivgarh Dhar in Assar in Doda. The young captain was critically injured and shifted to a military hospital where he breathed his last, officials said.
- The encounter first began around 6pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. It was paused after a while and a cordon was established overnight, officials said.
- On Wednesday morning, the cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt resumed, and a gunfight broke out around 7:30am in a thickly forested area.
- The terrorists, who are holed up in a riverine in Assar, crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in adjacent Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire with the security forces.
- Four blood-soaked rucksacks were recovered from the site, leading officials to believe that four terrorists were killed. M-4 carbines were also found, the officials said.
Also read: Shot fired outside pvt hospital: Two held after encounter in Karnal, one hurt
{{/usCountry}}Further details are awaited.
Earlier on August 10, two soldiers and a civilian were killed during a gunfight between the terrorists and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. The encounter had broke out during a joint operation launched by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF.
Rajnath Singh holds meeting on rising terror incidents in J&K
On Wednesday morning, defence minister Rajnath Singh convened a meeting on the rising terror-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the 78th Independence Day.
According to officials, defence secretary Giridhar Aramane, national security advisor Ajit Doval, army chief general Upendra Dwivedi, director general of military operations-Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma and heads of the security-related agencies attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, security forces across the union territory have been placed on high alert ahead of Independence Day to ensure public safety.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)