E-Paper
2 Army officers killed in bunker fire
Two Army officers were killed when their fibre-glass bunker at Ashok post, located at 19,000 feet, on the Siachen glacier caught fire on Thursday night.
Two Army officers were killed when their fibre-glass bunker at Ashok post, located at 19,000 feet, on the Siachen glacier caught fire on Thursday night.
Major Gurphej Singh Cheema of 13 Mahar Regiment, who hails from Damoolian village in Kapurthala, and Lieutenant Archit Verdiya from Udaipur died on the spot, while four jawans who tried to rescue them sustained burns.
An army spokesman said the cause of the fire was not yet known. A court of inquiry has been ordered.
Major Cheema’s wife Ranjit Kaur and his parents rushed for Leh on Friday morning. They are expected to return to the village on Saturday where the cremation would be held. Major Cheema has a 14-month-old son Agamjot Singh.
This is the second such fire incident in five years in Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world that has been peaceful since 2003 following a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. A Major and a Captain were killed in a similar fire in 2006.
