A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident

The Army on Friday paid tribute to two Special Forces personnel who lost their lives after their boat capsized during a training exercise at the Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar on September 1.

The deceased soldiers were identified as Naik Ajay Kumar, a resident of Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir, and Lance Naik Rohit Narayan Patil from Maharashtra’s Sangli district. Both were serving with the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, headquartered in Nahan.

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.

Ajay Kumar’s body was recovered late on September 2 from near Bartha village in Uttar Pradesh, around 15 km downstream of the barrage. Patil’s body was later found in the Hansi Branch Canal near Jind in Haryana, nearly 200 km from the accident site.

The mortal remains of the soldiers were brought to Command Hospital, Chandimandir, where post-mortem examinations, identification and other official formalities were completed before the bodies were handed over to their families for the last rites.

Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, who is also the Colonel of the Parachute Regiment, laid wreaths on their coffins at Chandimandir military station, while a ceremonial guard reversed arms as a mark of respect.

“Their unwavering courage, dedication and commitment to duty will forever remain etched in our hearts and continue to inspire generations,” the Western Command said in a statement.

In the evening of September 1, during a joint watermanship training at Hathni Kund Barrage in Yamunanagar district of Haryana, a boat carrying five soldiers got caught in strong currents towards the downstream barrage.

The teams made swift efforts to retrieve the boat. However, the boat got stuck in strong eddies around the sluice gates and capsized resulting in the crew getting swept away by the strong currents, according to information shared by the Army.

Three of them survived. The troops had deployed from a Chinook helicopter. The drill involved an inflatable boat being dropped from the helicopter followed by the commandos jumping into the water to board the boat to carry out the envisioned task.

A full-scale search and rescue mission, including helicopters and drones, was launched by the Army, Indian Air Force, local police and civil administration along the barrage and downstream parallel canals — the Western Yamuna Canal flowing towards Haryana and the Eastern Yamuna Canal towards Uttar Pradesh.

Different Army units regularly conduct exercises on rivers and canals to hone their skills for various offensive and defensive operations that involve negotiating water bodies.