A wreath-laying ceremony was held on Friday to pay solemn tributes to 10 Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in a tragic road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Thursday, officials said.
The accident occurred when a bulletproof vehicle (a Casspir troop carrier) carrying 21 soldiers skidded off the narrow, snowy Bhaderwah–Chamba interstate road at the 9,000-foot-high Khanni Top and plunged approximately 200 feet into a deep gorge.
The vehicle was en route to a counterinsurgency operation in the upper reaches of the district when the driver lost control due to treacherous terrain and adverse weather conditions.
The ceremony, led by Lieutenant General PK Mishra, General Officer Commanding of the White Knight Corps (XV Corps), took place at the technical airport in Jammu.
It was attended by officers from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, and representatives of the civil administration.
Wreaths were also laid on behalf of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on the mortal remains of the soldiers.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti, and Inspector General of CRPF, Jammu, R. Gopal Krishna Rao, paid their respects by laying wreaths
on the tricolour-draped coffins.
The deceased soldiers have been identified as:
Monu (Bulandshahr, Hindon),
Jobanjeet Singh (Roopnagar, Ambala),
Mohit (Jhajjar, Hindon),
Shailendra Singh Bhadoriya (Morar, Gwalior),
Samiran Singh (Jhargram, Kalaikonda),
Pradumna Lohar (Purulia, Ranchi),
Sudhir Narwal (Yamunanagar, Ambala),
Hare Ram Kumar (Bhojpur, Bihta),
Ajay Lakra (Ranchi), and
Rinkhil Baliyan (Hapur, Hindon).
The mortal remains of the soldiers are being dispatched to their respective hometowns for last rites.
Of the 21 personnel on board, 10 soldiers died—four at the scene and six later from injuries—while 11 others sustained serious injuries. The injured personnel were evacuated, with many airlifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur for specialised treatment.
The White Knight Corps described the incident as “unfortunate” and confirmed that the vehicle slipped off the road while navigating challenging conditions.
Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum in Jammu and Kashmir, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Sajad Lone, who expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the tragic accident.
Also Read: Army vehicle rolls down gorge in Doda; 10 killed, 11 injured
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