PM Modi pays tribute to slain martyr Sankalp Shukla

Condemning the Jammu and Kashmir terror attacks as a 'shameless attempt to attack India's democracy', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid glowing tributes to Lieutenant Colonel Sankalp Kumar Shukla who lost his life in the Uri gun battle yesterday, and said that his sacrifice will inspire generations.

"Yesterday in Kashmir, the terrorists made a shameless attempt to attack India's democracy. I pay my tribute to all the martyrs, who lost their lives in service of the nation. Jharkhand's son Sankalp Kumar Shukla lost his life for the security of nation, I pay my tribute to him, his sacrifice will inspire generations," Prime Minister Modi said at an election rally here.

Lieutenant Colonel Sankalp Kumar, who hailed from Ranchi, completed his schooling at Ranchi's St John's School and graduated from St Xavier's College before clearing the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination in 1999.

Lieutenant Colonel Sankalp Kumar of 24 Punjab Regiment and six jawans were killed in a gun battle on Friday morning when six terrorists tried to storm an Army fortification. Three senior police officers, who were supervising the operation, were also killed in the encounter.

Jammu and Kashmir, which is in the midst of its five-phase state assembly elections, yesterday faced four terror attacks, which were aimed at undermining the ongoing democratic process in the state.