Young Lieutenant killed in J&K encounter

A pall of gloom descended upon the family and relatives of Lieutenant Navdeep Singh,who was killed today while fighting heavily-armed terrorists,trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir in Gurez sector at the Line of Control. The 26-year-old officer who had been commissioned in the Army only last year,was heading a party that foiled a major infiltration bid when the incident occurred. While reports claim 12 terrorists had been killed,Navdeep was the lone Army casualty,as per an Army PRO in Jalandhar Naresh Wig.

“We wanted to get him married. He was my brave son. He told me he will be coming home on long holidays in November. We were happily talking last evening,never knowing it would be the last time he was addressing me daddy”,said Navdeep’s father Joginder Singh,himself a retired Army Subedar-Major.

Joginder who is re-employed with the Military Engineering Service (MES),said Navdeep was a sharp boy from childhood and completed graduation in hotel management. “He wanted to join the Army. He undertook the test and cleared the interview with flying colours and was commissioned in April 2010. He used to say that he will never show his back when it comes to protecting his motherland and he did just that,” added Joginder unable to hold back tears.

Apart from his parents,Navdeep is survived by his siblings,sister Navjot Kaur and a younger brother Sandeep Singh,an engineering student. “He spoke to me last night only. I can’t believe that he is no more. I just hope this news is false”,said a shocked Sandeep.