Army pays tributes to Major, 3 jawans who died fighting militants in north Kashmir

Army men give gun salute to Rifleman Ravi Kumar at Meen Sarkar Tabela village on Wednesday. Tribune Photo: Inderjeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 15

The Army on Wednesday paid tributes to its four soldiers, including a Major, who died battling militants in north Kashmir yesterday, saying that they sealed their love for the country on Valentine’s Day.“They chose Valentine’s Day to seal their love for their country. To these bravehearts, no price was too high for her safety,” the Army said in a statement.“To weed out terror from their motherland, they would not think twice even to put their lives on the line… they lived for the country and they died fighting for her,” the Army said about the three jawans and an officer who were killed yesterday.Major Satish Dahiya, Rifleman Ravi Kumar, Paratrooper Dharmender Kumar and Gunner Astosh Kumar were killed in two gun battles in north Kashmir’s Bandipora and Kupwara district yesterday. Four militants were also killed in the two encounters.The General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen JS Sandhu led the tributes to the slain personnel today at Badamibagh Cantonment in the city here.The Army said Major Dahiya, who had led the operation launched by the Army in Handwara yesterday, is survived by his wife and a two-year-old daughter. The 31-year-old Major had been part of several counter-terrorist operations and had also been awarded for gallantry earlier, the Army said.The 33-year-old Rifleman Ravi Kumar hailed from Samba district of the state and was among the three soldiers killed in an anti-militant operation in Bandipora district.The Army said Gunner Astosh Kumar, killed in Bandipora operation, was son of Havildar Lal Sahib, who was killed during the Kargil war in 1999.