J&K: Special forces men take down five terrorists in hand-to-hand combat

PTI, Apr 6, 2020, 9:31 PM IST

Srinagar: Inclement weather, eight-foot-deep snow and low visibility could not deter a five-member Army squad from countering a new group of five infiltrated terrorists of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed in the higher reaches of north Kashmir and killing all of them, before sacrificing their lives.

The squad of 4-Para regiment, living up to its war cry of “Balidaan Parma Dharam” (sacrifice is ultimate duty), successfully carried out the operation last week.

The squad was deployed after reports came in about possible infiltration by a group of terrorists in the Keran sector of Kupwara district in the early hours of April 2, officials said.

After initial contact with the terrorists, it was not immediately clear whether they had returned to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or were hiding in the heights taking advantage of low visibility and a thick cover of snow-capped pine trees near the Line of Control, they said.

There was no movement on April 2 and it was perceived that they might have returned but from early hours of April 3, some movement was noticed along some ‘Gujjar Dhoks’ – temporary shelters of nomads used during the summer.

A plan was immediately chalked out and the Special Forces squad drawn from 4-Para regiment reached the heights of Shamsabari range so that the terrorists could be sandwiched between the approaching Army troops from top and bottom of the hills.

The descend of the Special Forces squad from Shamsabari Range on April 4 was spotted by the terrorists holed up in the ‘dhoks,’ ensuing an exchange of heavy gunfire.

The Shamshabari mountain range starts from ‘Kala Pahar’ in Baramulla of north Kashmir and goes up to ‘Vajr top’ on the boundary of Kargil district of Ladakh. The mountain range with an average height of 3,500 metres guards the valley’s Line of Control with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

At this time, Subedar Sanjeev Kumar (hailing from Himachal Pradesh), Haveldar Davendra Singh (Uttarakhand), paratroopers Bal Krishan (Himachal Pradesh), Amit Kumar (Uttarakhand) and Chhatrapal Singh (Rajasthan) made their sledge fall on the ‘dhok’ to allow other squads to hit the terrorists.

The officials said that the five troopers with the help of other squads neutralised the five infiltrating terrorists. The subedar was dead during the intense gunfight while the four others succumbed either on way to the hospital or at the 92-base hospital, they said.

A defence spokesperson said, “Indian Army launched a daring operation at the Line of Control and engaged Pakistan-supported infiltrators in a close quarter battle in heavy snow, neutralising the entire infiltrating batch of five.”

“Four soldiers under the command of a Junior Commissioned Officer from one of the most professional Para SF Units were heli-dropped near the LoC after information on the infiltrators was received. An intense hand-to-hand battle ensued and all five terrorists were eliminated,” the spokesperson said.

A huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of the encounter besides communication sets which were being analysed, they added.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the headquarters of XV Corps where Lieutenant General B S Raju gave glowing tributes to the brave soldiers. Later their mortal remains were dispatched to their respective homes in an Indian Air Force plane.

“Indian Army salutes the brave hearts killed in action and shall continue to protect its borders from inimical forces at all costs at all times,” the spokesperson said.