Jammu: The entire nation has strongly condemned the killing of an Army Captain and three soldiers by terrorists in Doda area of Jammu region on Monday night while as reinforcements have been rushed in to track and neutralize the terrorists.
Those killed in the encounter have been identified as Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra and Sepoy Ajay, officials said.
This was the third major encounter between security forces and terrorists in the forests of Doda district in the past three weeks.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the Jammu & Kashmir policeman injured in the encounter also succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.
The latest incident comes a week after a terrorist ambush on an Army patrol in the remote Machedi forest belt in Kathua district claimed the lives of five soldiers and injured as many.
Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Desa forest belt, some 55 km from Doda town, late on Monday evening when the encounter took place, the officials said.
After a brief exchange of fire, the terrorists tried to escape but were chased by the troops led by the captain despite the challenging terrain and thick foliage, they said, adding this led to another firefight around 9 pm on Monday.
Five soldiers were critically injured in the encounter. Four of them, including the captain, later succumbed to injuries, the officials said.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of the Army paid tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives while undertaking the counter-terror operation.
“Indian Army stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” Additional Directorate General of Public Information of the Indian Army posted on ‘X’.
The officials said the Army and police mobilized reinforcements on Monday night itself and launched a fresh search of the area with more troops on Tuesday morning.
The Army’s elite para-commandos were deployed while drones and helicopters were also pressed into service for surveillance, they said.
According to the officials, there was no fresh contact with the terrorists on Tuesday who are believed to have infiltrated from across the border and been hiding in the forest area for the past couple of months.
On July 09, terrorists managed to escape after an encounter with security forces in the nearby Ghadi Bhagwah forest bordering Kishtwar district. Three foreign terrorists were killed in a day-long operation in the Gandoh area of the district on June 26.
The anti-terror operations in Doda were intensified after a fierce exchange of fire in Chattargalla pass left five army personnel and a special police officer injured on June 12. A policeman was injured in another encounter in Gandoh the next day.
The Jammu region, which remained relatively peaceful between 2005 and 2021 after security forces wiped out decades-long terrorism, witnessed a spike in terror attacks over the past month. It included an attack on a pilgrim bus that left nine persons dead and 40 injured.
Terror activities resurfaced in October 2021 from the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Some of the deadly attacks that spread to Reasi, Kathua and Doda were attributed by the security establishment as an attempt by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism in the Jammu region.
Over 70 people, including 52 security personnel — mostly from the Army — have been killed in terror-related incidents in the Jammu region since 2021. Most of the casualties were from Rajouri and Poonch districts where 54 terrorists were also killed, the officials said.
Three terrorists were also killed in Reasi district and two others in Kathua district, they added.
Deeply saddened: Rajnath on death of 4 soldiers in Doda
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said he is “deeply saddened” by the death of four Army soldiers in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district and asserted that the security forces are committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism in the region.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi briefed Singh on the ongoing operation.
“Deeply saddened by the loss of our brave and courageous Indian Army Soldiers in a counter terrorist operation in Urrar Baggi, Doda (J&K),” Singh said on X.
“My heart goes out to the bereaved families. The Nation stands firmly with the families of our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty,” he said.
The defence minister said the counter terrorist operations are underway, and “our soldiers remain committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and restore peace and order in the region.”
The defence minister’s office said he spoke to Gen Dwivedi this morning.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh spoke to CoAs, General Upendra Dwivedi this morning. RM was apprised of the ground situation and the ongoing Counter Terrorist Op in Doda by the Army Chief,” Singh’s office said on X.
Our soldiers, their families bearing brunt of BJP’s wrong policies: Rahul
The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre after four soldiers were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda, with Rahul Gandhi asserting that the government should take full responsibility for the repeated security lapses and take strict action against the culprits.
Four Army personnel, including an officer, died after being injured in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Doda district, officials said on Tuesday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also said such horrific incidents one after the other are extremely sad and worrying, and that Army soldiers and their families are bearing the brunt of “BJP’s wrong policies”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was deeply distressed by the martyrdom of the four brave soldiers, including an officer.
“Our heart goes out to the families of our bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of Bharat Mata. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery,” he said.
No words of strong and unequivocal condemnation “will suffice for these acts of violence being perpetrated by cowardly terrorists”, he said.
“The spate of terror attacks that has gripped Jammu and Kashmir in the past 36 days, needs careful recalibration in our security strategy. The Modi government is acting as if everything is ‘business as usual’ and nothing has changed. They must know that increasingly the Jammu region is bearing the brunt of these attacks,” Kharge said.
“We cannot endanger our national security by indulging in false bravado, fake narratives and high-decibel whitewashing. As a nation, we have to collectively fight the scourge of cross-border terrorism,” he said.
“The Indian National Congress stands strongly with our valiant Armed Forces,” Kharge said.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to the martyrs and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
“These continuous terrorist attacks are reflecting the deteriorated condition of Jammu and Kashmir. Our soldiers and their families are bearing the brunt of BJP’s wrong policies,” he said in a post in Hindi on X.
“It is the demand of every patriotic Indian that the government should take full responsibility for the repeated security lapses and take strict action against the culprits of the country and the soldiers,” he said.
“In this hour of grief, the entire country stands united against terrorism,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there have been 11 terror attacks in the last 78 days in Jammu alone.
“This is a wholly new development. While we must demonstrate an effective collective response cutting across political parties, the question must also be asked: what happened to all those grand claims made by the self-anointed non-biological PM and the self-styled Chanakya?” Ramesh said on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of martyrdom of four soldiers, including an Army officer, in an encounter with terrorists in Doda is extremely saddening.
“My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We will all remain forever indebted to the brave soldiers and their families who made the supreme sacrifice,” she said.
In another post, Priyanka Gandhi said the entire country is saddened by the martyrdom of the four soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir and stands united against terrorism.
“But the increasing terrorist attacks raise serious questions. Should the role of the country’s political leadership be limited to expressing grief over every martyrdom and then remain silent?” she said.
“In the last 78 days, 11 terrorist attacks have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir. 13 army and police personnel were martyred in these attacks. On June 9, 9 pilgrims were killed in an attack on a passenger bus. What measures is the government taking on the diplomatic-strategic front to stop these attacks and the martyrdom of our soldiers?” Priyanka Gandhi said, hitting out at the government.
“Sometimes in the name of demonetisation, sometimes in the name of Article 370, our soldiers are paying the price of fake claims of eradicating terrorism. Till when will we keep counting the bodies of our martyrs?” she asked.
Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also lashed out at the government over the latest attack and said the country wants answers.
“Countries are not run on just slogans,” Khera said in Hindi on X.
