NEW DELHI, Sept 13: A colonel, a major of a Rashtriya Rifles unit of the army and a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed in action during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said on Wednesday.
Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Aashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himanyun Muzamil Bhat were killed in action during the gunfight. Colonel Manpreet Singh was the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (19 RR) unit. Rashtriya Rifles is the counter-insurgency force of the army that operates in Jammu and Kashmir.
The body of the police officer and the two army officers have been retrieved from the dense forests of the Kokernag area of Anantnag. Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Army’s 15 Corps commander and Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh are among the top officials who have rushed to the encounter site to supervise the operation and evacuation of bodies.
The Cheetah helicopters of the army have been pressed into action for surveillance and evacuation operation at the encounter site, the officials said.
Sources say a joint operation was launched by the army and police late last night after they received specific information about the presence of terrorists. The troops led by the commanding officer and a deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir police came under heavy firing.
The three officers were critically injured. Reinforcement was immediately rushed to the area but due to heavy firing from terrorists, who are believed to be well entrenched, the injured couldn’t be evacuated immediately, sources said.
This is the second encounter in the last 24 hours. Earlier one army soldier was killed in action and three security forces personnel were injured during a fierce encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, police said. Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter. The operation is still underway.
(Manas Dasgupta)