- First time 5 soldiers of SF attained martyrdom in a single operation
- Presence of terrorists deliberately floated in air to trap soldiers: Sources
- 24 soldiers among 33 killed during last 20 months in 7 terror attacks in Rajouri-Poonch
Shyam Sood
Rajouri, May 5: Within a fortnight in a well-planned & executed 2nd terror incident, five Indian soldiers laid down their lives for the country when the troops were engaged in a combing operation in a thickly vegetated area in Koteranka sub division of Rajouri district.
It was the first terror incident in which five Para Commandos of Special Force of the Indian Army attained martyrdom in an anti-terror operation.
Reliable sources said that the Bravehearts fell into the trap of the terrorists executed with the help of their Over Ground Workers (OGWs) as they were hiding in the area to inflict major damage.
The incident happened at about 7.30 am when the troops as part of their ‘Operation Trinetra’ were heading towards Panyali pasture in Pir Panjal ranges where the terrorists were hiding.
In the initial press briefing, Lt Col Devender Anand, PRO Defence Jammu informed that Indian Army had been conducting intelligence bases anti-terror operations to flush out the terrorists involved in an ambush on Army truck in Tota Gali area in Poonch district on April 20 (five soldiers attained martyrdom).
On specific information, a joint search operation was launched by Special Force (Para) with SOG of J&K police and 60 RR on Friday morning in dense forest in Kandi area in Rajouri district.
“At about 7.30 am on May 5, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. Terrorists during retaliation triggered an explosive device in which Army team suffered two fatal causalities and four others, including an officer, received injuries,” said PRO Defence.
Additional forces rushed to the spot and the injured were airlifted to Command Hospital at Udhampur.
At about 3.50 pm PRO Defence, LT Col Devender Anand again informed that out of four critically injured soldiers, three succumbs to injuries taking the toll to five during this ongoing operation in Rajouri district.
Sources said the condition of the injured officer (Major) under treatment is also critical.
The Bravehearts of Indian Army’s elite Special Force (PARA) who attained martyrdom in Rajouri encounter have been identified as L/Naik Ruchin Singh resident of Kunigad in Girsain tehsil of Uttrakhand; Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri resident of Pulbazar, Darzeeling in West Bngal; Naik Arvind Kumar resident of Suri in Palampur tehsil of HP; Hav Neelam Singh resident of Jourian Akhnoor in J&K; and Paratrooper, Pramod Negi resident of Shillai Sirmour district in HP.
The terror attack on Army truck was executed in a well-planned plot when the visit of Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to India was announced and when he is in India to attend SCO meeting, terrorists struck again in a major way.
The source said that information about the presence of 2-3 terrorists in Barooni general area in the pastures about 5 Kms from Koteranka town was deliberately floated in the air (reportedly by the terrorists) to trap and ambush the troops.
As the Special Force troops reached the targeted spot, hiding terrorists first opened indiscriminate fire on the troops and then triggered an IED, reportedly planted on the track leading to pastures, giving no time to soldiers to retaliate effectively like on attack on Army truck on April 20.
The Army said there was a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group. However, no bodies have been retrieved till the filing of this report.
It is pertinent to mention here that during last 20 months, 24 soldiers and 9 civilians were killed in seven attacks by Pakistan-jsponsored terrorists in Rajouri & Poonch districts while only two terrorists were killed in a fidayeen attack on RR’s company base in Darhal tehsil in Rajouri district.
Like an attack on Army truck on Jammu-Poonch highway, in which five soldiers attained martyrdom,
People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) again purportedly posted messages online and claimed its role in Kandi area on Friday.
Like in Bathooni (Rajouri) massacre (7 people killed on January 1&2) and attack on the Army truck , the perpetrators involved in Friday ambush in Rajouri, once again managed to skip from the encounter site.
Top police officers, including Additional DGP Jammu, Mukesh Singh also visited the area & reviewed the security scenario.
