Officials stated Thursday that two others were injured and Sepoy Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, a Maharashtra soldier, was killed in a gunfight with suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists in the Kishtwar area of Jammu division.
Based on intelligence inputs, the encounter started about 7 a.m. with joint forces including the Army’s 2 Para Special Forces, Assam Rifles, 11 Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police, and local police running a cordon and search operation. Three troops were injured as the militants opened fire as security officials closed in. Sepoy Pandurang passed away at a nearby hospital from his injuries; the other two were airlifted to the military command hospital in Udhampur for treatment.
Confirming the death on social media site X, the Army’s White Knight Corps said that reinforcements had been sent and that the operation to neutralize the terrorists was still under progress. Officials claimed extra troops were sent in to stop any escape as intermittent gunfire persisted in the vicinity.
Sepoy Pandurang was from a village close to Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. With terrorist activity, his death counts as the ninth security personnel fatality in Jammu division this year.
Capt Karamjit Singh Bakshi and Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas perished on a patrol in February from an IED blast close to the Line of Control in Akhnoor. Five incidents totaling three in Kathua, one in Udhampur, and one in Kishtwar have occurred across the region since March 23. Four cops were slain and three more, along with a small girl, were injured on March 27 in Kathua.
More recently, on April 11, Subedar Kuldeep Chand of 9 Punjab was killed along the LoC in Akhnoor, and on April 24, Havaldar Jhantu Ali Sheikh of 6 Para Special Forces died during a gunfight in Udhampur district.
JeM commander Saifullah and two companions were slain in the Naidgam district of Chatroo on April 12. From the spot security personnel seized an M4 carbine, an AK-47 rifle, Pakistan-made food and medications.
J&K noticed an increase in terrorist activity from May to December last year. More than 30 terrorists were killed in counter-operations, while security forces suffered 25 casualties — 19 in Jammu and six in Kashmir.
