A soldier was killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the upper reaches of the Udhampur district on Saturday.
A security official said a soldier was injured when terrorists opened fire on the joint search party of the Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Seoj Dhar forest border in the Dudu-Basantgarh area of Udhampur yesterday evening.
The injured soldier was shifted to a military hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The deceased soldier was identified as Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand.
“The area around the scene of the encounter was kept under tight cordon during the night. The search operation resumed in the morning today,” a security official said.
He said troops used drones, UAVs and sniffer dogs to track down the movement of the hiding terrorists, who are said to be three in number.
“A massive search operation was underway when last reports poured in. No fresh contact has been established with the terrorists so far,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tributes to the army personnel, Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand, who was killed in an encounter in Udhampur.
“Salute to the indomitable courage of braveheart Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand, who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation during the anti-terror operation in Udhampur. The grateful nation will forever be indebted to his valour and unwavering commitment to duty. We stand united in solidarity with the family of the martyr in this hour of grief,” the Lieutenant Governor said.