Anantnag:

In a heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, seven-year-old Kabir remains unaware of the harsh reality that his father will never return and the young boy relentlessly sends voice messages to Colonel Manpreet Singh’s number pleading with him to come back.

“Papa bus ek baar aa jao, phir mission pe chale jana (Papa, please come back once, and then you can resume your duties).” Some of these heartfelt messages are whispered in secrecy to avoid his mother’s watchful gaze, as Kabir implores his father to make a video call.

Colonel Singh’s final act of valour came during a joint operation on September 13 last year, when he along with other soldiers engaged in a fierce gun battle with terrorists in the forests surrounding Gadool village. Despite their courage, Colonel Singh, Major Aashish Dhonchak, J-K Police Deputy Superintendent Humanyun Bhat and Sepoy Pardeep Singh made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew and admired them.

A revered commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) unit, Colonel Singh is remembered as a hero in the worst terrorism-hit areas of Larkipora, Zaldoora and Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Many locals remember him as a symbol of bravery, leadership and selfless sacrifice in these areas that are mainly the Area of Responsibility, or AOR in army parlance, of the 19 RR. His legacy lives on in the hearts of people.

The absence of Colonel Singh weighs heavy on his family members, particularly his wife Jagmeet, who vividly recalls the time when he planted two Chinar trees and affectionately named them after their children — Kabir and Vani.

“He had said that we will return after 10 years to see these trees again. But now…,” said Jagmeet, her trailing off voice encapsulating the uncertainty and sorrow that has befallen the family.

Jagmeet shared with PTI over phone from Mohali in Punjab how deeply passionate Colonel Singh was about improving the lives of people in Kashmir and also spoke about the difficulties in making her own children understand that he won’t return.

“Often Mann (Colonel Manpreet) would get calls in the dead of night and he would promptly ensure that help was provided to them,” she said, adding that the help could be to resolve a personal dispute or for hospitalisation, it could be for anything.

She said her husband was invited by locals for marriages, to celebrate the birth of a child and Eid. “It was like one big family,” Jagmeet said.

Remembering her last conversation with him, which lasted 32 seconds, Jagmeet said, “Operation mein hoon (I am in operation) were his last words before I did not hear from him ever.” Colonel Singh’s dedication to the community extended beyond his military duties.

He was instrumental in rehabilitation efforts, particularly in helping those addicted to drugs find a path to recovery. Colonel Singh’s impact on empowering women and fostering a sense of community through sports and education is fondly remembered by those who knew him.

Rubbiya Sayeed, a well-known women cricketer from Anantnag, recalled Colonel Singh’s impact on the community. “He believed that sports played an important role in building a society…There were many drug addicts whom he sent for rehabilitation,” she said.

Sayeed said Colonel Singh’s focus on empowering women to be self-reliant and economically independent showcased his commitment to building a better society through sports and education.

“He actually was a healing touch to the people and the 19 RR headquarters had become the most people-friendly place where the focus was on building the youth and reasoning out with them about their better future,” she said in a choked voice.

Local residents spoke of Colonel Singh’s kindness and support, highlighting his gentlemanly demeanour and positive influence on the youth.

“I have never seen a gentleman officer like him. He used to treat me like his brother,” Rayees said and recalled how his son would play with Kabir. “Probably, he was one of our last resort whenever we were in some problem,” he said.

The Gurdwara at Zaldoora stands testament to his generosity. The 19 RR, that mainly draws its personnel from the SIKH LI, provided a generator to ensure no power cut and uninterrupted recitation of the ‘Gurubani’. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Security forces have now reached close to the hideout of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag where they had targetted their bombs and shells to drive them out, sources said. An operation against terrorists is going on since late Tuesday night deep inside the dense forests of Gadol area of Kokernag in Anantnag. 

The encounter has entered its sixth day, with thousands of troops including para commandos locked in an endless gunfight with terrorists.

Three officers, including two from the Army and a policeman, have been killed in action in an attempt to neutralise the terrorists.

Profile of terrorists

The heavily armed terrorists, believed to be two-three in number, are hiding in a tactically favourable location in the dense and steep forest. 

They are believed to be affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba as one of them is one of them is Uzair Khan, who joined Lashkar last year and is well aware of the area.

Cautious approach

It has been raining intermittently at the encounter site since Saturday, which is causing a lot of difficulty in the operation. Especially on these hills of Pir Panjal, there are dense forests, caves, and ditches, due to which the visibility reduces considerably and makes the operation riskier. 

Army sources said that there is no firing from terrorists, but until that area is completely sanitised, army personnel cannot go there. It’s possible that the terrorist may be alive and hiding to fire secretly. They may even have planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in the hideout and set it to explode when the soldiers reach there. This is why the army is moving very slowly, sources said.

Army dogs and equipment to detect explosives are also being used to clear the area. 

Security forces suspect that the hide out may have dead bodies of the terrorists. Even if they aren’t dead, it would be very difficult to escape as the army has cordoned off the entire area. 

Action so far

The troops have fired hundreds of mortar shells and rockets, targeted suspected terrorist hideouts with hi-tech equipment, and dropped explosives using advanced drones.

The Army has even released a picture of the drone being used in the operation.

OP GAROL#LtGenUpendraDwivedi#ArmyCdr, Northern Command reviewed the operational situation on the ongoing operations at #Kokernag forest area in #Anantnag. He was briefed by the ground commanders on the High Intensity Operations in which Hi-tech Equipment is being used for… pic.twitter.com/MggzlYb2Lh

— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 16, 2023

The joint operation by Army and police began Tuesday night based on intelligence input, followed by an attempt to approach the terrorist hideout next day. The terrorists who appear to have anticipated the action opened fire on the forces, caught between the dense forests and hill on one side and a deep ditch on the other.

Leading from the front, two Army officers – Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonchak, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Bhat – were killed in action. Two more soldiers were injured while another is believed to be missing.

Srinagar/New Delhi:

“No Sir” was the prompt reply of Colonel Manpreet Singh when he was offered a peace posting upon his promotion in 2021. Instead, he volunteered to stay and command the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, a battalion credited with major kills of terrorists including Hizbul Mujahideen poster boy Burhan Wani.

Col Singh, who is survived by his wife, a six-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter, was a combat veteran and was awarded Sena Medal during his tenure as second-in-command of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, a battalion tasked with ensuring security in South Anantnag, Kokernag and Verinag Achabal including its higher reaches, which have been highly infested with terrorists especially foreign mercenaries in the past.

Col Singh who was in his early 40s, along with Major Aashish Dhonchak, Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat and one soldier, was killed in an encounter with terrorists on Wednesday in the higher reaches of Kokernag. One soldier is still missing.

Major Dhonchak, 34, who had a close brush with death only a month ago, is remembered as an enthusiastic officer who used to go into the nitty gritty of every operation.

After his promotion in 2021 as a Colonel, Singh was given a choice to opt for peace area posting.

“No Sir, I would like to be posted in my 19 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) and be with my own men,” was his prompt response, politely rejecting the offer that had been made to him.

Col Singh always wanted to lead from the front and the reason generally given by him was “I have to ensure that every one under my command is safe.” A sports enthusiast, Col Singh always believed in uplift of youth and engaged them in sports activities.

‘Chinar Cricket tournament’ for women and volleyball events were quite frequent in otherwise restive areas of Larkipora, where the formation’s headquarters was located.

Many sports lovers in the area said they could not believe that Col Singh was no more.

Many of them said the officer was always available for youths and had encouraged them to build a comprehensive society.

“He believed that sports played an important role in building a society…There were many drug addicts whom he sent for rehabilitation,” said woman cricketer Rubbiya Sayeed.

On August 10, Major Dhonchak and his team were participating in a cordon and search operation in the Athlan Gadole area of Kokernag when terrorists threw a grenade injuring three people including a soldier.

“This time he ran out of luck…,” recalls one of the officers known to the fallen soldier.

Major Dhonchak was awarded with Sena Medal only last month on the eve of Independence Day.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)