Army, police pay tributes to 5 soldiers killed in Rajouri encounter

Army and police on Friday morning paid floral tributes to five of its personnel who were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, and five soldiers including two captains were killed in a 36-hour-long gunfight with security forces on Wednesday and Thursday in the Bajimaal area of Darmsal.

A wreath-laying ceremony was organised by the army at Army General Hospital Rajouri in which the General Officer Commanding Romeo Force and other officers and police officials laid wreaths and paid tributes to the martyred army men.

Those who laid down their lives fighting terrorists were Captain M V Pranjal (63 RR) of Mangalore area of Karnataka, Captain Shubham Gupta (9 Para) of Agra of Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid (Para) of Ajote in Poonch, J-K; Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Halli Padli area of Nainital, UK and Paratrooper Sachin Laur of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Captain Pranjal is survived by his wife Aditi G, while Capt Gupta leaves behind his father Basant Kumar Gupta. Havaldar Majid is survived by his wife Sagera Bi and three children, while Lance Naik Bisht and Paratrooper Laur leave behind their mothers Manju Devi and Bhagvati Devi, respectively.

The mortal remains of the martyred army personnel are being sent to their native places for last rites.