JCO killed in encounter with terrorists cremated with full military honours in Rajouri

Rajouri/Jammu, Sep 14 (PTI) A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Indian Army, who was killed in an encounter with terrorists, was cremated with full military honours at his village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Saturday.

Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar (42), along with Sepoy Arvind Singh from Himachal Pradesh, was killed while two other soldiers were injured, when terrorists opened fire on a joint search party of the Army and police in a forest area in the upper reaches of Chhatroo in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Friday evening.

A pall of gloom descended on Kumar’s native Patra village of Sunderbani in Rajouri when his mortal remains, wrapped in the tricolour, were brought in a decorated military vehicle for the last rites on Saturday afternoon.

Kumar is survived by his wife and two children — a boy studying in Class 7 and a girl studying in Class 3.

Emotional scenes were witnessed at Kumar’s house as the relatives, including his 100-year-old grandmother, burst into tears on seeing the body.

Thousands of people joined the funeral procession, raising slogans praising Kumar, the Indian Army and the country, while denouncing Pakistan for providing support to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are proud of our martyr who made the supreme sacrifice for the country. However, his departure has left a deep wound that will not heal easily,” the JCO’s uncle, Ashok Kumar, said, as he consoled his brother and the minor son of the deceased soldier.

The cremation took place with full military honours, including a wreath-laying ceremony and a gun salute.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, the party’s member of Parliament Jugal Kishore and local leaders of other political parties took part in the cremation and paid tributes to the fallen soldier.

Earlier in the day, the Army organised a wreath-laying ceremony at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu for both the soldiers killed by the terrorists.

General Officer Commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, led the wreath-laying ceremony and paid rich tributes to the two soldiers. Senior police officers, including Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, also attended the function.

“In a solemn wreath-laying ceremony, GOC White Knight Corps laid a wreath to pay homage to bravehearts Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar and Rifleman Arvind Singh who made the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of Indian Army. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the Army said in a post on X.