- Saturday, April 12, 2025
Subedar Kuldeep Chand was leading an operation to thwart an infiltration attempt by terrorists in the Keri Bhattal area in Akhnoor sector
By: India Weekly
A JUNIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICER of the Indian army died while leading an operation to thwart an infiltration attempt by terrorists in the Akhnoor sector, officials said on Saturday (12).
The terrorists are believed to have sneaked back into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the intense gunfight in the Keri Bhattal area, they added.
The Army has identified the slain officer as Subedar Kuldeep Chand of 9-Punjab, hailing from Himachal Pradesh.
Officials said the alert troops picked up the movement of a group of heavily armed terrorists near a stream in a forward forest setting in the Keri Bhattal area late Friday (11) night, and challenged them, leading to a fierce gunfight which continued for quite some time.
Subedar Kuldeep Chand was injured in the encounter and later succumbed, the officials said, adding the whole area has been cordoned off with deployment of reinforcements, and a search operation was underway when last reports were received.
In the same area on February 11, two Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another was injured when terrorists set off an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
On February 13, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army.
The latest incident comes two days after India and Pakistan held a brigade commander-level flag meeting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district to discuss issues related to border management.
The meeting was held at the Chakan-Da-Bagh cross-point, led by brigadier-level officers from both sides, officials said.
This was the second such meeting since February in an effort to de-escalate tension after nearly a dozen incidents of cross-border firing, and an IED attack.
The Indian Army lodged a strong protest with their counterparts over the cross-border terror activities and the ceasefire violations.
Ceasefire violations along the LoC have become rare since India and Pakistan renewed their ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.
On April 5, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel shot dead a Pakistani intruder along the International Border in the R S Pura sector here and later held a flag meeting with Rangers over the incident. (PTI)
