Five soldiers from the Garhwal Rifles lost their lives in a militant ambush in Kathua, Jammu, drawing widespread condemnation from CM Dhami.
The family of 25-year-old Rifleman Adarsh Negi in Thatti Dagar village, Uttarakhand, was devastated upon learning of his death in the Kathua attack late Monday night. Adarsh, the youngest of three siblings, joined the Garhwal Rifles in 2018 after completing his intermediate education at a government school.
Adarsh was one of five soldiers from the Garhwal Rifles regiment killed in the ambush on Monday afternoon. The other fallen soldiers include Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat from Kandakhal village in Rudraprayag, Havaldar Kamal Singh from Papri village in Pauri Garhwal, Naik Vinod Singh from Chaund Jaspur in Tehri Garhwal, and Rifleman Anuj Negi from Dobariya village in Pauri Garhwal.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pays tribute to the mortal remains of the five soldiers of Uttarakhand, at Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, who lost their lives in the Kathua terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/NpRmHfENxP
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The deaths have left their communities in mourning and shock.
Adarsh’s uncle, Balbir Negi, shared that Adarsh always dreamed of joining the Indian Army. He left his graduation midway to enlist in 2018. Adarsh is survived by his father, Dalvir Singh Negi (53), mother, Guddi Devi (47), elder sister, Anjali (30), and elder brother, Abhishek (27), who works as a yoga instructor in Chennai.
“He always aspired to join the Army. After completing class 12, he pursued a BSc at Garhwal University in Srinagar but left his studies to join the Army. He last visited us in February for a cousin’s wedding. We were informed of his injury around 9:30 pm on Monday, but later received the heartbreaking news of his death,” Balbir recounted.
While Balbir and his family reside in Dehradun, Dalvir and his wife live in their native village in Tehri Garhwal. They have been informed that the bodies of all five martyrs will arrive at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport by Monday evening, after which Adarsh will be taken for his final rites on the banks of the Alaknanda.
Sources indicate that a large group of militants carried out the attack, following reports of significant militant infiltration in the area two months prior.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condemned the attack, stating, “The news of five soldiers being martyred in a terrorist attack on an army convoy in Kathua is extremely painful. I condemn this cowardly attack and assure that these enemies of humanity will not be spared. I pray for peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families.”
Dhami further expressed that the soldiers’ “supreme sacrifice won’t be in vain,” adding, “Five brave soldiers of Uttarakhand were martyred in the cowardly terrorist attack in Kathua. This is a moment of immense pain for us, as we have lost our brothers and sons. Upholding Uttarakhand’s rich military tradition, our warriors have sacrificed everything for Mother India.
Kathua Terrorist Attack: सेना के काफिले पर आतंकी हमले के बाद अब सर्च ऑपरेशन जारी | Jammu Kahsmir
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