Rashtriya Rifles Commanding Officer, Major, Dy SP killed in gunfight with terrorists in south Kashmir

Official sources said a joint team of the J&K Police and Army had launched an operation in Gadool forest of Kokernag, in Anantnag district, Tuesday evening following inputs about movement of militants in the area.

From left to right: Colonel Manpreet Singh, Deputy SP Himayun Muzamil Bhat and Major Aashish Dhonchak.

On Wednesday morning, the search party, led by the senior officers, came under heavy fire, leaving the three officers critically injured. They were airlifted to Srinagar, where they succumbed to their injuries.

While there were no reports of any militant deaths, officials said the operation was underway until late night.

“All the casualties took place in the initial bursts of firing. The firing was so intense that the joint team got little time to react,” said a senior police officer.

“The terrorists fired incessantly, hampering quick evacuation of the injured officers,” said the officer.

“When the joint team was walking through a stream surrounded by dense forest area, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire. They were strategically better placed and took the cover of the dense forest,” said a police officer.

Near the encounter site. (PTI)

Following the incident, top Army and police officers, including Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh, rushed to South Kashmir to monitor the situation.

Singh, a decorated officer of the Sikh Light Infantry, was commanding the 19 Rashtriya Rifles unit based in Kokernag. He had received the Sena Medal in 2021. He was from Punjab’s Mohali district, and is survived by his mother, wife, a six-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. According to a Punjab government official, Singh’s late father was also from the Sikh Light Infantry.

Bhat (34), son of retired J&K Inspector General of Police Ghulam Hasan Bhat, had joined the J&K Police in 2018, the year his father retired. Originally from Tral in South Kashmir, he is survived by his wife and a one-month-old son.

According to sources, Dhonchak was from Panipat district of Haryana.

Police sources said while search operations in Kokernag belt of South Kashmir were on for some time, a fresh operation was launched on Tuesday.

This is the second major militant strike in South Kashmir in just over a month. On August 4, three soldiers were killed when militants targeted a temporary army post in the forests of Kulgam. The militants had managed to escape after the attack.

While the Army is yet to share the details of its slain officers, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha was among those who attended the wreath-laying ceremony of DySP Bhat. “The entire nation stands with their families in this hour of grief,” he said.

“Terrible, terrible news from J&K. An Army Colonel, a Major and a J&K Police DySP gave the ultimate sacrifice in an encounter in Kokernag area of South Kashmir today… May their souls rest in peace & may their loved ones find strength at this difficult time,” tweeted former Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omr Abdullah.

“My deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed in the line of duty at Anantnag today. There is no place for such abominable acts of violence,” tweeted PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

– With ENS inputs