Rajnath Singh Leaves for Jammu a Day After Five Soldiers Killed in Ongoing Anti-Terror Operation in Rajouri

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 6th May. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh departed from the national capital on Saturday for Jammu to assess the situation in the ongoing encounter between security personnel and militants in Rajouri’s Kandi district.

This comes a day after five soldiers were killed during the Indian Army’s anti-terror ‘Operation Trinetra,’ together with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tribute this morning to the five Army personnel who died on Friday after terrorists detonated an explosive device during the Rajouri encounter.

The deceased soldiers are Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat, Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri, Naik Arvind Kumar, Hav Neelam Singh, and Paratrooper Pramod Negi.

The Indian Army is conducting operations to capture a group of terrorists who were involved in an ambush on an army truck around a fortnight ago in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in the Jammu region, in which another five soldiers were killed.

Meanwhile, according to current updates, “one terrorist was neutralised and one likely injured” in a new exchange of fire in Kandi early Saturday morning.

The first contact was established with the terrorists at around 1.15am, resulting in an exchange of fire when terrorists attempted to escape the cordon. At around 5am, the cordon was readjusted and the gunbattle continued, Army officials said.

Northern army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi also took part in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony on behalf of all ranks of the Indian Army’s Northern Command, paying tribute to the five Army personnel who died on Friday.