Srinagar, Aug 07: An Army major and three soldiers were killed while foiling an infiltration bid in Gurez sector of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, officials said today. At least two militants were also killed in the operation, they said.
The encounter between the Army’s patrolling party and the infiltrating group took place at Govind Nallah in Gurez sector of Bandipore district.
Four infiltrators managed to return to Pakistan-administered-Kashmir, while two others were believed to have been injured and hiding in the dense forest around the region, they said.
The officials said that there was an intelligence input about an infiltration bid by eight militants in Bagtore area of Gurez.
An Army team led by Major Kaustubh Prakash Kumar Rane laid a siege of the area during the night, but were fired by the militants who had positioned themselves comfortably in the cover of darkness, they said.
In the encounter, 29-year-old Major Rane and three other soldiers were killed. Two of the infiltrating militants were killed in the encounter which took place near Govind Nallah of Gurez, they said.
Besides Major Rane, who hails from Thane district of Mahashtra, other soldiers killed were 26-year-old riflemen Mandeep Singh Rawat, from Kotdwar in Uttrakhand, Hameer Singh hailing from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, and 25-year-old gunner Vikram Jeet Singh from Tepla village of Ambala district in Haryana.
The operation was continuing, they said.
Further reinforcements were rushed to the encounter site.
Earlier, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bandipora, Zulfikar Ahmad said the firing started at around 1 am.
“Ceasefire violation in Gurez,” said the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on Twitter.
