Two belong to Himachal Pradesh, one from Jammu

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, January 11

Three soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), lost their lives after they slipped into a gorge during patrolling along the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. The soldiers were part of a regular operational task in Machil sector of Kupwara when the mishap took place at about 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening.

Will be remembered

Their sacrifice and selfless service to the nation will always be remembered. Manoj Sinha, L-G

Stand with families

We offer glowing tributes and express sympathies with bereaved families. Ravinder Sharma, Cong leader

“While moving towards the forward post, snow along the narrow track broke, leading to the slipping of one the JCOs and two jawans into a deep gorge,” said Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Col Emron Musavi.

The Army launched a rescue operation with the help of troops from a nearest post. Sustained efforts of the search party led to the recovery of mortal remains of the three soldiers between 4.15 am and 4.45 am on Wednesday morning,” the spokesperson said.

The deceased have been identified as JCO Parshotam Kumar, 43, of Majua Uttami village of Jammu, Havildar Amrik Singh, 39, of Una and and Amit Sharma, 23, of Hamirpur in Himachal. Kumar had joined the Army in 1996. He is survived by his wife and two kids. Singh had joined the Army in 2001 and is survived by his wife and a son. Sharma joined the Army in 2019 and is survived by his mother. The mortal remains will be taken for last rites to their respective native places.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha tweeted, “Their sacrifice and selfless service to the nation will always be remembered.” Ravinder Sharma, chief spokesperson of the J&K Congress, also expressed grief over the deaths. “We offer glowing tributes to the slain soldiers,” he added.