Maha CM expresses grief over Major Rane's death in J&K ops

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief today over the death of Major Kaustubh Ranem who was killed in Jammu and Kashmir during a operation to foil an infiltration bid.

Major Rane was a resident of Bhayander in Thane district of the state.

He and three soldiers were killed while foiling an infiltration bid in north Kashmir's Gurez sector. At least two militants were gunned down in the operation.

"We Salute from Thane for his supreme sacrifice for BharatMata ! He lost his life while foiling infiltration bid in Gurez in Jammu & Kashmir. We stand firm with his family in this hour of grief," the chief minister said in a tweet.

A pall of gloom descended on the Shital Nagar locality in Bhayander in the district, after the news of Major Rane's death.

Major Rane was a resident of Hiral Sagar society. He is survived by his aged parents, wife and a two-and-a-half-year old child, a district information official said.

A neighbour said the family members of Rane and the residents of the building are in a state of shock.

The official said Major Rane's father retired as an employee of a Tata firm and his mother as an employee of an educational institute in suburban Borivli.

Rane's wife Kanika and their child have gone to his native village Vaibhavwadi in the Konkan region, and his parents are preparing to leave for the village.

Major Rane had studied in the Holy Cross Convent School in the locality.

The details about the arrival of the major's body and the timing of his funeral are not yet known.