Rajouri: The month of October proved to be the deadliest, in terms of fatal casualties for the Indian army in the recent times in Rajouri and Poonch districts where eleven army personnel were killed in encounters and other militancy-related incidents.
In all, the army lost its 14 soldiers in the line of duty in the last four months in twin border districts.
Among these, twelve personnel lost life in different anti-militancy operations in two districts. An army officer and a soldier were killed in an explosion on the Line of Control (LoC).
As per official figures, two army personnel were killed on July 8 at Daddal village of Sunderbani in Rajouri during an encounter. They were identified as Naib Subedar Sreejith M and Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Reddy.
Following it, on August 19, in an encounter at Kalaas Mohalla of Karyote village of Thannamandi in Rajouri, Subedar Ram Singh received fatal injuries and later succumbed.
As per official figures, only in the month of October the army suffered eleven casualties in a span of just three weeks in twin encounters in the hinterland of Poonch district, touching the border of Rajouri district and two in an explosion on the Line of Control in Nowshera, Rajouri.
The official figures revealed that five army personnel were killed in an encounter that broke out in Chamrer forests bordering Rajouri district near DKG in Poonch.
They included Naib Subedar Jaswinder Singh (SM), Naik Mandeep Singh, Seopy Gajjan Singh, Sepoy Saraj Singh and Sepoy Vaisakh H.
Similarly, the army lost its four personnel in an encounter that broke out at Nar Khas in Bhata Dhurian village of Mendhar. A JCO was among four army personnel killed in this encounter.
Subedar Ajay Singh, Naik Harendra Singh, Rifleman Vikram Singh Negi and Rifleman Yogambar Singh lost their lives in this encounter which started on October 14.
On Saturday, an army Lieutenant Rishi Kumar and a Sepoy Manjit Singh were killed in a powerful explosion that took place at Kalal forward in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.