Army colonel killed, soldier and J&K policeman injured in firefight with militants near LoC
Srinagar: An Army colonel was killed and four other security personnel were critically injured in a fierce gun battle with Islamic militants raging in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district since Monday evening.
Police and Army sources here said that the fighting started in Manigah village of Haihama area close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara after the soldiers of Army’s 41 Rashtriya Rifles along with Para commandos moved in to intercept a group of militants believed to be Lashkar-e-Tayyaba cadres.
On seeing the troops zeroing in on them, the militants opened a heavy volume of gunfire at them. With that and while taking advantage of darkness, the militants escaped into nearby Behak forest area, the sources said adding that soon reinforcements were rushed in and a fierce encounter was underway in the area since Tuesday morning. Army helicopters were see flying over the area and were also used to evacuate the injured security personnel.
Reports said that in the militants’ indiscriminate firing, four soldiers including the company commander of 41 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel Santosh Mahadik and a policeman of J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) were critically injured, the sources said. One of the injured Army jawans is 160 Territorial Army’s Majnoon Ahmed, a local Kashmiri attached with 41 Rashtriya Rifles.
The injured soldiers and policemen were immediately evacuated to Srinagar’s 92 Army Base Hospital where Colonel Santosh died soon.
Defence spokesman SD Goswami said Colonel Santosh Mahadik laid down his life while leading his troops in an fierce encounter with a group of three militants in Manigah forest area of Kupwara. “Colonel Mahadik, the Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles made the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. He was a true soldier and had conducted many successful counter terrorist operations,” he said adding that the slain officer was originally from the Special Forces and was earlier awarded Sena Medal “for exhibiting gallantry and leadership in counter terrorist operations”.
Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, the chief of Northern Command, has expressed deep condolences on the loss of “brave officer” and said, “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to officers like Santosh who lead from the front and are willing to pay the ultimate price in the fight against terrorism.”
Colonel Mahadik leaves behind his wife and two children aged eleven and five years and the Army is committed to providing all support to the family in this hour of grief, Mr. Goswami said.
