Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 21

Three soldiers were killed and one was critically injured in an encounter with militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Sunday. Two intruders were shot dead.

“The intruders fired on a patrol party. In the retaliatory fire, two heavily armed militants were killed. It was a kind of a Border Action Team (BAT) operation,” a source told The Tribune.

Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said the encounter took place at 1.45 pm and that the injured soldier, Rifleman Rakesh Kumar of Samba distict, had been airlifted to the Army Command Hospital in Udhampur.

“The Army found warlike stores, including two AK-47 rifles,” he added. The deceased soldiers are Havildar Kaushal Kumar of Deeng village in Nowshera, Rajouri district; Lance Naik Ranjeet Singh of Gam village in Doda district and Rifleman Rajat Kumar Basant of Pallanwala in Jammu — all of Jak li.

Havildar Kaushal Kumar is survived by his wife Naresh Kumari, Lance Naik Ranjeet Singh by his wife Shimu Devi and Rifleman Rajat Kumar by his father Ratan Lal.

Sources said the intruders may have infiltrated through the Ikhni Nullah near Battal village — the route used by four heavily armed infiltrators in March this year. They were later eliminated.

A report from Jaipur, meanwhile, said a suspected Pakistani intruder was gunned down by the BSF while trying to cross the International Border in Sriganganagar district.