LG, Army chief pay tributes to JCO killed in gunfight with terrorists

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday paid their tributes to a junior commissioned officer (JCO) who laid down his life while leading a counter-infiltration operation against terrorists near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu.

A solemn wreath-laying ceremony for Subedar Kuldeep Chand was held at military garrison Tanda in Jammu's Akhnoor in the afternoon and later his mortal remains were despatched to his family in Himachal Pradesh for last rites, officials said.

They said senior Army, police and civil officers led by General Officer Commanding of 10th Infantry Division Major General Sameer Shrivastava and Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Joginder Singh laid a wreath at the body and saluted the sacrifice of the JCO.

The JCO lost his life in a gunfight with terrorists attempting to infiltrate into the Indian side in the Keri-Bhattal area of the Akhnoor sector late Friday night.

In a message, Lt Governor Sinha said, I salute the supreme sacrifice of our Army braveheart Sub Kuldeep Chand who laid down his life in the line of duty. His valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The entire nation stands firmly with the family of the martyr in this hour of grief.

Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army, in a post on X, said the Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of the Indian Army salute the supreme sacrifice of the braveheart.

The Indian Army offers deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved family in this hour of grief, it said.