“I am proud. I am not sad. I have not shed a single tear since yesterday and I will never shed one. Everyone has to die one day. No one is immortal, but he has sacrificed his life for the country. I am not sad at all. Yes, it is true that when I look at my wife, it is natural to feel sad. Yes, it is sad that she left before me. My wife was also saying what a day she chose, whenever 15th August comes, we will remember her too…” Saying this, the father of martyr Captain Deepak Singh burst into tears.
Captain Deepak Singh, a resident of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, was martyred in an encounter that began on the eve of Independence Day in Doda district of Jammu region. A terrorist has also been killed and a civilian injured in the operation going on in the high altitude areas.
This is the fourth encounter in recent days in the Udhampuri-Doda-Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir. Gunfire broke out in the dense forest area on Wednesday morning during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team of security personnel to trace a group of terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt. Captain Deepak Singh was seriously injured during the operation and was admitted to a military hospital, where he succumbed.
“In the ongoing operation, one terrorist has been neutralised. One AK 47 has been recovered. Intermittent exchange of fire is going on while the operation is underway,” the army said in a post on ‘X’.
The killing of one terrorist has also been confirmed. Four blood-soaked bags were recovered from the encounter site, which led officials to initially believe that a total of four terrorists had been killed. Officials said that M-4 carbines have also been recovered. However, the killing of only one terrorist has been confirmed.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Jain reached Assar area along with top officials to monitor the operation. The Army expressed deep condolences on the death of the officer and said that the force stands with the bereaved family.
Also read: Brilliant hockey player, brave on the battlefield… Martyr Captain Deepak Singh was given the rank of Field Major in Doda
All ranks of the White Knight Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of brave Captain Deepak Singh. Army officials said the militants entered Doda from a forest area near Patnitop in Udhampur district after a gunfight broke out between security forces and militants on Tuesday evening. They said security forces challenged the militants in Udhampur at around 6 pm on Tuesday. The encounter began about half an hour later and continued intermittently till both sides stopped. The cordon was put in place overnight. The search operation was resumed in the morning. Firing broke out again in Doda at around 7.30 am on Wednesday.
Let us tell you that two encounters took place between security forces and terrorists on Sunday in the remote forest areas of Naunatta in Kishtwar district and Basantgarh in Udhampur district. After these encounters, the terrorists fled to the hills of Doda. On June 26, 3 terrorists, suspected to be associated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM), were killed in a shootout in Gandoh area of Doda.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)