An Army Colonel and an Army Major were among five security personnel who were killed in an encounter at a village in Handwara in north Kashmir that also saw the elimination of two terrorists, officials said on Sunday.
Army officers Col Ashutosh Sharma and Major Anuj, and Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspector Shakeel Qazi were among the deceased, they said.
Col Sharma was leading a team to rescue civilians who had been taken hostage by the terrorists hiding in a house at the Chanjmullah area of Handwara in frontier Kupwara district of north Kashmir on Saturday, the officials said.
The operation was initially launched in the forest area of Rajwar in Handwara tehsil of Kupwara district on Saturday against terrorists who were reportedly hiding in the densely forested area. Feeling the heat of the security personnel, the terrorists, initially believed to be two to three, came down to hide in a private house in Chanjimulla village.
“Based on the intelligence input that terrorists were taking the civilian inmates of a house in Changimulla, Handwara of Kupwara district hostage, a joint operation was launched by Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police,” an Army spokesperson told ANI.
“A team comprising 5 Army and J&K police personnel entered the target area occupied by terrorists to evacuate the civilians. The team of Army and JK Police entered the area and successfully extricated the civilians,” the spokesperson added.
“In the ensuing firefight, two terrorists were eliminated and the team of five Army and Jammu and Kashmir personnel, comprising 2 Army officers, 2 Army soldiers and 1 J&K Police Sub-Inspector attained martyrdom,” the spokesperson said.
Security forces had noticed presence of some terrorists in the Rajwar forests in Handwara area for the past few days and a brief exchange of fire had taken place on Thursday deep inside the jungles. Around Saturday afternoon, intelligence inputs indicated presence of the same group of terrorists inside a house at Changimulla village, prompting Col Sharma to launch a cordon and search operation along with his team and Qazi.
After a considerable lull, Col Sharma and four others personnel barged into a cowshed adjacent to the house, presuming that the terrorists had been eliminated in the heavy gunfire.
According to the officials, the team came under heavy fire after rescuing the civilians and all communication link with Col Sharma and his team were snapped. Calls made on the mobile numbers of the team were answered by terrorists.
The Army then rushed in para-troopers, who after ascertaining that the Army officer and his team were killed in the encounter, launched an offensive by the first light of the day and killed the two terrorists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tributes to the soldiers.
"Tributes to our courageous soldiers and security personnel martyred in Handwara. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. They served the nation with utmost dedication and worked tirelessly to protect our citizens. Condolences to their families and friends," the Prime Minister said in a tweet.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described it as "deeply disturbing and painful".
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said the anti-terror operation highlighted the determination of the security forces to safeguard the lives of the people of Kashmir.
The Army, in a tweet, said Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and all ranks of the force paid tributes to the "valiant braves of our Army and JK Police for their supreme sacrifice while fighting and eliminating terrorists in Handwara."
The death of Col Sharma and Major Sood, both from 21-RR, was a sad reminder of a near similar incident two decades back when Commanding Officer of the same batallion Colonel Rajinder Chauhan was killed by terrorists along with Brig B S Shergil in 2000.
The death of a Colonel-rank officer was seen in the valley after five years. In 2015, the Army had lost two colonels in a year in Kashmir.
Colonel M N Rai of 2/9 Gorkha Rifles, was the CO of 42 RR and laid his life for the country while fighting militants in Tral in South Kashmir in January 2015.
The same year, Col Santosh Mahadik was killed in an encounter in Kupwara area.
On the latest operation, the Army said based on the intelligence input that terrorists were taking hostage some civilians in a house, a joint operation was launched by the army and the JK Police.
A team comprising five Army and police personnel entered the target area occupied by the terrorists to evacuate the civilians and successfully extricated them.
However, during the process, the team came under a heavy volume of fire by the terrorists and in the ensuing firefight the five personnel were killed, the Army said.
The terrorists are believed to have come to Handwara to receive an infiltrating group from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, officials said.
A wreath-laying ceremony would be held tomorrow after which Col Sharma's body would be flown to Jaipur and that of Major Sood to Pune, the officials said.
(With agency inputs)