Doda Encounter: 4 Indian Army Soldiers, Including Officer, Killed in J&K Terrorist Gunfight

Doda Encounter: 4 Indian Army Soldiers, Including Officer, Killed in J&K Terrorist Gunfight

According to news agency reports citing sources, four Indian Army soldiers—including an officer—who were gravely injured in a battle with terrorists on Monday night in Doda, Jammu & Kashmir, passed away. The Rashtriya Rifles and the J&K Police Special Operations Group conducted a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Desa forest area at approximately 7:45 p.m., which sparked the incident. Four Indian Army personnel were killed in the gunfight, including recently promoted Major Brijesh Thappa of 10 RR, sources said HT. There was no official confirmation of deaths, and the army withheld further facts regarding casualties.

The initial firefight with the terrorists, which lasted more than 20 minutes, injured four Army personnel—including the officer—and one police officer, according to the officials. The injured were declared to be in “critical” condition once they were flown to the hospital. They later died from their wounds, according to the officials. The Indian Army stated that as the last reports came in, more troops had been sent into the region and the operation was still ongoing. There was another gunfight in the woods at around 9 o’clock at night, according to the officials, when the terrorists attempted to flee after a brief exchange of gunfire but were pursued by the courageous troops under the command of an officer despite the difficult terrain and dense forest.

An Indian Army and JKP joint action was underway in the general area north of Doda, based on particular intelligence inputs. In a post on X on Monday night, the White Knights Corps stated that they had made contact with terrorists at approximately 2100 hours, following which there was a fierce firefight. According to preliminary reports, our courageous heroes may have suffered injuries. They’ve brought in more troops to the scene. The White Knights Corps continued, “Operations are ongoing.” The Indian Army chief reportedly briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the situation on the ground and the continuing operation in Doda, according to news reports.

Jitendra Singh, a Doda MP and union minister, expressed his dismay at the news of an armed encounter in the Dessa district, calling them “deeply disturbed.” It is insufficient to express sympathy or criticize our brave heroes’ martyrdom with words. Let us all,” he uttered. He said, “Join together to defeat the enemy’s evil schemes and, maintain peace and harmony for which Doda has always been known.” Earlier in the day, antiquated weapons and ammunition were found by Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Reasi district of the state, where terrorists had taken refuge.

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Thirty AK-47 rounds, one AK-47 rifle magazine, and one HE-36 hand grenade are among the recovered goods, according to the authorities. Old, rusty weapons and ammunition were found by the police party during the search and cordon operation in Shikari’s Dalantop neighborhood, according to a news release from the officials. Five troops were slain by militants who ambushed an Army convoy earlier this month. Six terrorists and two other soldiers were also killed in separate encounters. Terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims in June, killing nine and wounding numerous others as it left a shrine in the southern Jammu and Kashmir region of Reasi. Since 2017, when gunmen killed seven people in another bus assault, this was the first attack on Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir. It was also among the bloodiest assaults that had occurred recently.