Jammu, Sep 20 (KNO): An Army soldier lost his life in action during an intense gunfight with terrorists in the rugged Seoj Dhar forest area along the Doda-Udhampur border, officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) on Saturday.
They said the gunfight broke out on late Friday evening prompting a massive joint operation by security forces.
Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand was critically injured when a joint search party from the Army, Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police came under sudden fire from hiding terrorists during a cordon-and-search mission.
“Acting on specific intelligence about terrorist presence in the high-altitude region, the teams had launched the operation in the Dudu police station limits near the Seoj Dhar heights. Chand was evacuated to a nearby medical facility but succumbed to his injuries overnight,” said an official.
“The encounter site, spanning the border between Udhampur's Dudu-Basantgarh area and Doda's Bhaderwah, was placed under a tight cordon through the night. Operations resumed at dawn with reinforcements, including drones and sniffer dogs, deployed from both districts,” they said, adding,
“No fresh contact was established with the holed up terrorists as of Saturday afternoon.”
In a solemn tribute, the White Knight Corps (Indian Army's Northern Command) stated on X: "GOC WhiteKnightCorps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand, who made the supreme sacrifice during an ongoing operation at Kanji, Udhampur on the night of 19-20 Sep 2025. His indomitable courage and the valour of his team will never be forgotten. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved family."
Senior Army and police officers have rushed to the site to oversee the hunt. The operation remains underway, with forces vowing to neutralize the threat.
Pertinently, on June 26 this year a top JeM commander Haider was shot dead by the security forces in the same forest belt.
LG Sinha pays tributes
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid rich tributes to the brave army personnel, Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand, who made supreme sacrifice in the ongoing operations against terrorists at Kanji, Udhampur.
In a statement, LG Sinha said, “Salute to the indomitable courage of braveheart Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand, who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation during the anti-terror operation in Udhampur. The grateful nation will forever be indebted to his valour and unwavering commitment to duty. We stand united in solidarity with the family of the martyr in this hour of grief,” he added—(KNO)