SRINAGAR: The Army today paid homage to three soldiers who were killed in a major counter-infiltration operation over the weekend along the Line of Control in Naugam sector of Kashmir.
Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen J S Sandhu led army officers and other ranks in paying homage to the three soldiers who died while fighting a group of heavily armed militants from across the LoC in the two-day operation which began Saturday, a defence spokesman said.
“Top officials from civil administration and other security forces operating in the Valley also paid their tributes to the martyrs — Havaldar Giris Gurung, Havaldar Damar Bahadur Pun and Rifleman Rabin Sharma — at Badamibagh Cantonment here,” the spokesman said.
The three intrepid Gorkha soldiers, who hailed from Nepal, were part of a team which intercepted a group of militants along the LoC on Saturday morning, preventing them from infiltrating into the hinterland, he said.
In the operation, which lasted nearly 48 hours, four militants were killed and weapons seized.
Gurung, 38, who hailed from Kaski in Nepal, served the Army for 19 years and took part in many counter-terrorist operations. He is survived by his wife Panch Maya Gurung and two children.
“Pun (40) from Karaing Tun in Gulmi, Nepal, was an experienced soldier with 21 years of selfless service. The martyr is survived by his wife Kalpana Pun and two children,” the spokesman said.
He said brave heart Rifleman Sharma, 23, had joined the Army in 2013.
The martyr, who hailed from Nepal’s Chuwa village in Parbat district, is survived by his wife Sabita Sharma.
The mortal remains of the soldiers will be taken by an aircraft to Subathu in Himachal Pradesh for their last rites with full military honours, the spokesman said.
“The Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved families and remains committed to their honour and wellbeing,” he said. (AGENCIES)