Anantnag: In a tragic incident, three security personnel, including two Army officers and a Jammu and Kashmir Police officer, were killed in a fierce encounter with terrorists in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district on Wednesday evening. The terrorists belonged to The Resistance Front, a front organization of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The slain security personnel were identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Arjun Singh, and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Altaf Hussain. They were part of a joint operation launched by the Army and the police after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.
According to sources, Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was the Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), reached the spot to oversee the operation. However, as soon as he got out of his vehicle, he came under heavy fire from the terrorists hiding in the dense forest. He was hit by multiple bullets and could not be evacuated immediately. He succumbed to his injuries due to excessive bleeding.
Major Arjun Singh and DSP Altaf Hussain also sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire and were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were declared brought dead.
Both Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Arjun Singh were decorated officers who had been awarded the Sena Medal for their gallantry. Major Arjun Singh’s award was announced on August 15 this year and he was supposed to receive it in the next investiture ceremony.
Union Minister of State for Transport and former Army Chief General (retd) VK Singh paid homage to Colonel Manpreet Singh on Twitter. He wrote, “19 RR 12 SIKHLI Indian Army Medal awarded Colonel Manpreet Singh attained martyrdom while fighting terrorists in Anantnag, Kashmir. The country is shocked by this sad news. Paying tribute to the martyrdom of Martyr Colonel Manpreet Singh, I pray to God to provide strength to his family in this difficult time.”
The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on social media. It said that it was the same group that had attacked an Army truck in Rajouri during Ramzan, killing five soldiers.
