In a tragic incident, four army personnel lost their lives on duty after being critically injured in a fierce gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. The fallen soldiers also include an officer identified as Captain Brijesh Thapa. As per the information, Capt Brijesh Thapa was a second-generation officer after getting commissioned in the Army in 2019. His father retired from services as Colonel Bhuvnesh Thapa. Capt Thapa's sister is a Nepali singer. The fallen officer's family lives in West Bengal's Siliguri city.
Joint cordon and search operation launched
Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Desa forest belt, some 55 km from Doda town, late on Monday evening when the encounter took place, as per the official statement. After a brief exchange of fire, the terrorists tried to escape but were chased by the troops led by the Captain despite the challenging terrain and thick foliage, they said. Five soldiers were critically injured in the encounter. Tragically, four of them, including Captain Thapa, later succumbed to their injuries.
Names of martyrs in Doda encounter
- Captain Brijesh Thapa
- Naik D Rajesh
- Sepoy Bijendra
- Sepoy Ajay
Indian Army expresses condolences
The Indian Army also expressed their condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Doda encounter and said that the Army stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. "General Upendra Dwivedi COAS and all ranks of the Indian Army convey their deepest condolences to the Bravehearts, Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra and Sepoy Ajay, who laid down their lives in the line of duty while undertaking a counter-terrorist operation in Doda to ensure peace in the region. Indian Army stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief," ADG PI-Indian Army posted on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's reaction
Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Doda encounter and said that counter-terrorism operations are underway. "Deeply saddened by the loss of our brave and courageous Indian Army soldiers in a counter-terrorism operation in Urrar Baggi, Doda (J&K). My heart goes out to the bereaved families. The nation stands firmly with the families of our soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The counter-terrorism operations are underway, and our soldiers remain committed to eliminating the scourge of terrorism and restoring peace and order in the region," Rajnath Singh posted on X.
Encounter in Doda
This was the third major encounter between security forces and terrorists in the forests of Doda district in the past three weeks. The latest incident comes just a week after a terrorist ambushed an Army patrol in the remote Machedi forest belt in Kathua district, which claimed the lives of five soldiers and left as many injured. Notably, the Jammu region, which remained relatively peaceful between 2005 and 2021 after security forces wiped out decades-long terrorism, witnessed a spike in terror attacks over the past month.
(With inputs from agencies)
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