An Army officer was killed in a gunfight with suspected militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Wednesday.
The officer, identified as Captain Deepak Singh of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles, was among the two persons who suffered gunshot injuries in the gunfight near the district’s Assar area, The Indian Express quoted unidentified officials as saying. He was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The other injured person was a civilian from the Hirni village, the newspaper reported.
Earlier in the day, the Army’s 16 Corps said on social media that the search for the militants had continued amid heavy gunfighting. “One officer has been injured while leading the search party,” it said. “War-like stores have been recovered as operations continue.”
This came amid an increase in militancy-related incidents and infiltration bids in Jammu and Kashmir since late May.
On July 30, the Union home ministry told the Lok Sabha that 14 civilians and an equal number of security personnel were killed in militancy-related incidents in the Union territory this year till July 21.
In comparison, 14 civilians and 30 security personnel were killed due to militancy in all of 2023. In 2018, 91 members of security forces and 55 civilians were killed in militancy-related incidents, the ministry said.
Also read: What security forces are up against in Jammu
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