Hunt for perpetrators continues as nation mourns Jammu and Kashmir heroes

A manhunt was underway on Thursday for the group the terrorists responsible for the ambush-style killings of two army officers and a deputy superintendent of police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district a day earlier, with the hot pursuit involving some of the army’s finest fighting men, including those from the special forces, counterterrorism specialists from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, dog squads, modern surveillance equipment, jammers and drones to prevent the terrorists from giving security forces the slip, officials tracking the developments said.

Colonel Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonchak, also from the same battalion, and DSP Humayun Muzamil Bhat were killed in a gunfight on Wednesday while leading teams that were hunting for the terrorists who were lying in wait in concealed positions in the dense Garol forest at Kokernag in Anantnag. Two soldiers were also injured in the terror strike, HT has learnt.

The security forces managed to close in on two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists on Thursday after reinforcements were brought in, with top army and police officers monitoring the anti-terror operation.

“In solemn tribute to the valour of Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchak and DSP Humayun Bhat, who laid down their lives leading from the front during this ongoing operation, our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle 2 LeT terrorists, including Uzair Khan,” the J&K Police wrote on X.

Khan, who knows the lay of the land, joined LeT only last year but quickly climbed up the terror ranks to become a so-called commander.

All likely escape routes were sealed, the officials said.

Assault teams zeroed in on what they believed to be a terrorist hideout (a cave-like structure) and brought the fury of their automatic weapons on it in their effort to neutralise the likely occupants, HT has learnt. The army and the police launched a joint operation on Tuesday night after receiving intelligence about terrorist movement and their likely hideout in the forested area. The possibility of the anti-terror squads being lured into the area has not been ruled out by some officials.

“The operation has entered into a crucial stage, and the security forces could take another day to flush out the terrorists,” said one of the officials. There were no official statements from either the army or the police giving out the details of the operation.

The attack came weeks after three soldiers were killed in an encounter in Kulgam’s Halan forest in early August. That operation was also launched after specific inputs were received about the presence of terrorists in the area.

The mortal remains of Singh and Dhonchak are expected to reach Chandigarh and Panipat, respectively, on Friday after which the last rites will be performed. Bhat’s last rites were performed in Srinagar on Wednesday.

Only 12 to 15 terrorists, including some foreigners, are still active in Anantnag and Kulgam, the officials said. The place where the encounter took place in Anantnag was traditionally notorious for being a transit point for terrorists though no activity was reported from the area in recent years.

Army chief General Manoj Pande paid tributes to the fallen braves on Thursday.

“General Manoj Pande #COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy salute the supreme sacrifice of Col Manpreet Singh, Maj Aashish Dhonchak and DySP Humayun Muzamil Bhat @JmuKmrPolice who laid down their lives as per highest traditions while fighting the terrorists in #Anantnag and express heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” the Indian Army wrote on X.

The lieutenant governor of J&K Manoj Sinha also offered his condolences. “The grateful nation will forever remain indebted to the bravehearts,” his office said in a post on X.

Both Singh and Dhonchak were from the Sikh Light Infantry, had earned their spurs in the valley and were decorated with Sena Medal for their heroism in counterterror operations. While Singh was awarded the medal on Independence Day 2021, Dhonchak’s bravery was acknowledged only a few weeks ago, on August 15.

The Anantnag encounter has brought into focus how young commanding officers of specialist counterterrorism units are filling four crucial roles — leading from the front, conducting operations on the ground, providing motivation on the battlefield and keeping the men under their command out of harm’s way, the officials said.

As India mourns its three braves killed in action, the ongoing encounter with terrorists offers a grim reminder of the everyday perils of a soldier’s life, unpredictable combat outcomes and the vulnerability of commanders supervising operations, the officials said.

The Anantnag incident comes at a time when calm was returning to the valley, according to data tabled by the government in Parliament.

Jammu and Kashmir recorded only 30 “terrorist-initiated incidents” till July 31 this year, compared to 125 last year, 129 in 2021, 126 in 2020, 153 in 2019 and 228 in 2018, the data shows. Similarly, there were 24 encounters/counterterror operations till July 31 this year, compared to 117 last year, 100 in 2021, 118 in 2020, 102 in 2019 and 189 in 2018. While 11 security personnel were killed till July 31 this year, the figure stood at 32, 42, 63,80 and 91 in the previous five years.

To be sure, the Jammu region has witnessed two major attacks this year.

Five soldiers were killed and an officer wounded in a terror ambush in Rajouri’s Kandi forest area in May, with the attack suspected to have been carried out by the same group of terrorists who had ambushed an army truck and killed five soldiers in Poonch in April.