More than three months after the shocking terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, families of those who lost their loved ones are expressing a mix of relief and lingering grief following the reported killing of the alleged mastermind behind the April 22 massacre.
The encounter unfolded under Operation Mahadev near Srinagar on Monday, where elite para commandos of the Indian Army gunned down Suleman alias Asif and two of his associates. Suleman is believed to have orchestrated the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, officials said.
'Matter of satisfaction': MP man's brother
Vikas Kumrawat's elder brother, Sushil Nathaniel, a 58-year-old LIC manager from Indore, was among those brutally killed while vacationing in Kashmir with his family.
"We were thinking for a long time why the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have not been caught yet? We are very happy and relieved with the news of the army killing the mastermind of this attack. This action is a special achievement of our government and the army," Vikas told PTI.
Also Read | Suspicious communications helped locate Pahalgam terrorists
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Suspicious communications helped locate Pahalgam terrorists
{{/usCountry}}Vikas admits that the loss remains raw. "My brother will never be able to return to us, but the action taken by the government and the Army (after the Pahalgam attack) was a matter of satisfaction for us," Kumrawat further wrote.
Similar sentiments were echoed in Haryana's Karnal, where Rajesh Narwal, father of slain Indian Navy officer Lt Vinay Narwal, praised the armed forces for their bravery.
"I want to salute the Army, our paramilitary and J-K police jawans for their bravery," Rajesh Narwal told reporters in Karnal. "The way they did not care for their lives and hunted them down is not an easy task. I salute them for their bravery. They should be honoured for this," he further said.
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Lt Narwal, who had just been married days before the attack, was on his honeymoon in Pahalgam when terrorists opened fire on unsuspecting tourists, killing him and 25 others, including women and children.
In Bhubaneswar, the wife of victim Prashant Satpathy said, “Those who are gone won’t return, but terror must end. We are proud of the Indian Army."
Operation Mahadev
According to officials, the security forces on Monday launched Operation Mahadev after intelligence sources tracked a satellite phone signal, believed to have been used by the Pahalgam attackers.
The anti-terror Operation Mahadev took place in the general area of Lidwas, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army said.
Back in May, India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the deaths of the innocents killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. Under this, the Indian security forces attacked nine terror camps.