Tributes paid to soldiers martyred in Poonch

Army officers paying tributes to martyred soldiers in Rajouri on Tuesday. (UNI)
Army officers paying tributes to martyred soldiers in Rajouri on Tuesday. (UNI)

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 12: A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Rajouri today to pay tributes to the five soldiers who were martyred in a fierce gunfight with terrorists in Poonch district.
Naib Subedar (Junior Commissioned Officer) Jaswinder Singh, Naik Mandeep Singh, Sepoys Gajjan Singh, Saraj Singh and Vaisakh H were part of an Army search party that came under attack from the terrorists during the operation on Monday.
All five were critically injured and later succumbed to their injuries.
A solemn ceremony was held at a military camp at Rajouri where wreaths were laid by senior Army officers and civil dignitaries to pay homage to the fallen soldiers, a defence spokesperson said. Click here to watch video
The Indian Army salutes the sacrifices of its soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the motherland, he said.
“The nation will always remain indebted to our bravehearts for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” he said.
The spokesperson said that the mortal remains of the five soldiers will be sent to their respective hometowns on Wednesday.
While the bodies of Jaswinder Singh, Mandeep Singh and Gajjan Singh will be taken to their respective hometowns in Punjab by road, the mortal remains of Saraj Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Vaisakh H of Kerala will be flown to their native places, officials said.
After the wreath-laying ceremony, the mortal remains of all the five soldiers, wrapped in the tricolour, were moved to Jammu, they said.