IT Correspondent
Mumbai, August 13:
The rich tributes were paid by Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, Army Commander, Northern Command, and other officers on Friday, to the gallant soldiers who died in the line of duty while foiling the suicide attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on Thursday.
The wreaths were laid to pay tributes to the Bravehearts in Jammu before their mortal remains were moved to their respective hometowns. The tributes were paid also by the senior officials from the Indian Army, Air Force, and Civil Administration of Jammu.
A Defence statement said, “Today, in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony held at Air Force Station, Jammu, rich tributes were paid to the gallant soldiers who made supreme sacrifice during the Counter Terrorist Operation in Parghal in District Rajouri on August 11.
“The mortal remains of Subedar Rajendra Prasad of Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, and three soldiers: Rifleman Lakshmanan D. of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Rifleman Manoj Kumar of Faridabad, Haryana, and Rifleman Nishant Malik of Hisar, Haryana were taken in service aircraft from Jammu to Delhi. Thereafter the mortal remains will be taken to their respective hometowns for performing the last rites with full military honours.
“The Nation will always remain indebted to the gallant soldiers for their supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland,” the defence statement said.
On Thursday, alert troops of the Army foiled a terrorist ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) attack in Rajouri in which two terrorists and three soldiers were killed and two soldiers were badly injured. The terrorists tried to cross the fence of the army camp. The sentry on guard duty challenged the intruders and an exchange of gunfire took place. While three soldiers were killed on the spot, two injured were admitted to the hospital. However one of the injured riflemen Nishant Malik, succumbed to his injuries, taking the total security forces’ casualties to four.