Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that valour and sacrifice of Army bravehearts who laid down their lives while protecting motherland during an anti-terror operation in Rajouri will never be forgotten.
“I bow to our Army bravehearts-Capt MV Pranjal, Capt Shubham Gupta, Havaldar Abdul Majid, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht and Paratrooper Sachin Laur martyred while protecting motherland during operation against the terrorists in Rajouri,” Sinha wrote on X.
He said valour and sacrifice of the Army soldiers will never be forgotten.
“Condolences to their families,” he wrote.
The Lieutenant Governor laid wreath and paid homage to the bravehearts at a wreath laying ceremony here.
Meanwhile, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi said there is presence of retired soldiers of Pakistan in militant ranks and added that Pakistan is making attempts to push foreign terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, Daily excelsior reported.
“When we tried to seek identification of terrorists, we came to know that some of them are retired army personnel (of Pakistan)”, he asserted.
Speaking to reporters after paying tribute to five bravehearts who sacrificed their lives during gun battle with militants at Bajimaal in Dharamshal area of Kalakote in Rajouri district, Lt Gen Dwivedi said number of active terrorists in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch keeps fluctuating as the area in connected with the National Highway.
However, he roughly put number of terrorists operating in the twin border districts between 20 to 25.
“But the way Army, police and other Intelligence agencies have intensified their operations, we are sure to control the situation within one year,” the Northern Army Commander said.
In the afternoon, the Northern Command chief also visited Kalakote, where the encounter took place leading to elimination of two Afghan-trained Pakistani terrorists and sacrifice of five Army soldiers, to review operational situation.
He was briefed by the Commanders on recently conducted operation in Bajimaal. He complimented and felicitated the gallant troops and Army dog ‘Domino’ for successful operation in most difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions.
“Pakistan is making attempts to push foreign terrorists into this region due to lack of support from the local population, especially the youth who are reluctant to get recruited in terrorist ranks. Our efforts are on to neutralise the foreign terrorists,” Lt General Dwivedi said.
Asked if Pakistan intends to push more terrorists in the coming months to disrupt upcoming elections, including the Lok Sabha polls, he answered in the affirmative without going into details.
“It was very important to neutralise them as they were responsible for 10 civilian killings in Dhangri and TCP in Rajouri town besides masterminding attacks on security forces at Kandi in which five Army personnel lost their lives, he said.
The Army Commander said it was possible that they were trained in several countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“They were highly trained foreign terrorists and our brave soldiers without paying attention to their safety got into the operation and eliminated them. The troops have done a laudable job,” he said.
The Lt General said operations have been intensified in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to clear the region of more than two dozen foreign terrorists within a year. The killing of the two dreaded foreign terrorists is a major setback for Pakistan’s plans to destabilise the region, said the Army Commander.
Mentioning the killings of the terrorists in the Bajimaal encounter, he said, “They have created an ecosystem and their killing has dealt a severe blow to Pakistan to disturb the region.”
He said the sacrifice of the five soldiers led to the neutralisation of the two dreaded terrorists and it is a big achievement.
“The two terrorists were active for the last one year and we were not able to find them. Someone was providing weapons, ammunition and also information,” Lt General Dwivedi said.
Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lt General Sandeep Jain, Director General of Police R R Swain, Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Vijay Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Anand Jain, were among those who laid wreaths on the coffins of the fallen soldiers of the Bajimaal encounter.
Later coffins of the martyrs including three from Uttar Pradesh and another from Karnataka were sent to their native towns by air with full military honours for last rites.
Referring to his recent interaction with Captain Bisht, Lt Gen Dwivedi said, “I handed him a commendation card myself and asked him what he wants to do in the future. His reply was that he will do something big within seven days. He sacrificed his life for the nation.”
He also referred to a statement of Captain Pranjal’s father lauding his son’s bravery. He said it has boosted the morale of the troops and motivated them to do more such operations for the country, the army official said.
“The killing of Quari is not only a big achievement for the security forces, but also a morale booster for the civilians who were living under fear. This fear has now gone and more people will come forward to help in neutralisation of the active terrorists,” he said.
He also lauded the local populace for their support and said the latest success was because of their support to the Army.
Two terrorists, including a Pakistan-based top LeT commander Quari trained in Afghanistan, were killed by security forces during two-day long encounter at Bajimaal.
