2 Officers Among 5 Soldiers Killed In Action In Jammu And Kashmir

Two Army officers and three soldiers have been killed in action in the ongoing encounter between security forces and terrorists that broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri on Wednesday morning. In a social media post paying tribute on Thursday, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar revealed the names and posted the photos of two Captains and a Havildar who died during the gunfight.

"Capt MV Pranjal, Capt Shubham Gupta, Havldar Abdul Majid - 3 young men who served and sacrificed to defend us from terrorists," Mr Chandrasekhar posted with a folded hands emoji. 

Two Pakistani terrorists have also been killed during the operation.

According to news agency PTI, Captain Pranjal was from the 63 Rashtriya Rifles and was 29 years old. The son of a retired director of the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Captain Pranjal, who hailed from Mysuru, did his schooling from Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada district and was an engineering graduate from the National Defence Academy.

Captain Pranjal lived in Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru and family members told PTI that his body was expected to arrive in the city on Thursday evening and his last rites will be performed at Bannerghatta near Anekal.

Expressing condolences on the officer's death, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy posted on X,  "Heartfelt tributes to Captain MV Pranjal, a proud Kannadiga, who lost his life during the military operation against terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir." 

Captain Shubham Gupta was a resident of Agra district who joined the Indian Army in 2015 and was commissioned in 2018, according to news agency ANI. His first posting was in Udhampur.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to Captain Gupta on Thursday. 

"Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family through his official X handle, CM Yogi wrote, Uttar Pradesh government is with the bereaved family members of the braveheart Captain at this hour of grief," the ANI report said, quoting a press release from the chief minister's office.

Sources said the operation was launched on Wednesday morning after a villager was thrashed by terrorists for denying food to them. The resident of Bajimal village reported the incident to security forces and a massive anti-terrorist operation was launched in the area.

Four Army personnel were killed in the gunbattle, which is taking place in the Kalakot forests of Rajouri, on Wednesday, while another injured soldier died on Thursday.

One of the killed terrorists has been identified as Qari, a Pakistani national who held a high rank in the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

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