Highlights
- Five troopers had been martyred and one sustained damage within the terrorist assault
- Out of the 5 martyrs, 4 had been residents of Punjab, whereas one belonged to Odisha
- The troopers had been from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations
Poonch terror assault: A day after the terrorist assault on an Army automobile in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, the Punjab government on Friday introduced Rs 1 crore ex-gratia to the households of 4 troopers who misplaced their lives. “We will give ex-gratia amount of Rs one crore each to the families of the four Army personnel who lost their lives in the Poonch terror attack,” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated.
As many as 5 troopers had been martyred and one was injured on Thursday after their automobile was ambushed by unidentified terrorists and caught fireplace. Out of the 5 martyrs, 4 had been residents of Punjab, whereas one belonged to Odisha.
The deceased had been recognized as Havildar Mandeep Singh from Chankoian village in Ludhiana, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh from Charik village in Moga, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh from Talwandi village in Gurdaspur, Sepoy Sewak Singh from Bagha village Bathinda, and Lance Naik Debashish from Algum Sami village in Odisha. The troopers had been from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations.
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Army pays tributes to fallen troopers
Earlier on Friday, prime Army and police officers paid homage to the deceased troopers. At a ceremony held at a navy camp in Rajouri, senior officers, together with the final officer commanding (GoC) and extra director normal of police (ADGP), and civil dignitaries paid homage to the troopers, officers stated. “The nation will always remain indebted to our bravehearts for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” an officer stated.
Indian Army launches huge operation
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has launched a large operation to search out a gaggle of round six to seven terrorists who’re behind this ambush. “The Army and security agencies have received inputs about the presence of 6-7 terrorists operating in two groups in the Rajouri-Poonch sector near the area where the incident took place yesterday (April 20),” information company ANI quoted defence sources as saying.
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The safety forces together with the Army, Police and Intelligence Agencies are coordinating the operations. As per the sources, the terrorists are suspected to be from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and from Pakistan. “More details are being ascertained about their route of ingress into the area. The search is being conducted extensively in the area where multiple cave-type natural structures are present,” added sources.
(With inputs from companies)
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