Indian Army’s Para Special Forces were heli-dropped on Friday in the densely forested Chatroo area of Jammu’s Kishtwar district to eliminate four heavily armed Pakistani terrorists who had killed a soldier and injured two during a gunfight on Thursday.

According to reports, top Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander Saifullah is among the four terrorists believed to have escaped from the encounter site.

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Additional troops of the Army, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police have also been inducted into the counterterrorism operation. The terrorists are believed to have split into two groups and taken shelter in Singhpura and Beighpura villages, about 2 km from the encounter site. A massive combing operation has been launched to flush them out, with drones conducting aerial surveillance.

J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat and IGP (Jammu) BS Tuti visited Chatroo to assess the ground situation and operational strategy.

The DGP held discussions with the Army and other security forces officers.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid heartfelt tributes to Army Braveheart Sepoy Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, who attained martyrdom in the anti-terror operation in Kishtwar.

“The grateful nation will forever be indebted to his valour and unwavering commitment to duty. We stand united in solidarity with the family of the martyr in this hour of grief,” the Lieutenant Governor said.”

In a solemn ceremony, Chief of Staff, White Knight Corps, Major General Shailendra Singh paid tribute to Braveheart Sepoy Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, who made the supreme sacrifice in the finest traditions of the Indian Army.

Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander, Northern Command, and all ranks of Dhruva Command paid homage to the unwavering courage of the Braveheart.

Sepoy Pandurang, a resident of Karandi village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, was serving in the 17th Rashtriya Rifles deployed in J&K’s Kishtwar district.