Army Pays Tribute to Slain Lance Naik; Schools, Colleges to Remain Shut in J&K Border Areas
Indian Army on Thursday paid tribute to Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar who laid down his life when a military post along the Line of Control (LoC) came under heavy artillery shelling by Pakistani troops the previous day.
The Indian Army on Thursday paid tribute to Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar who laid down his life when a military post along the Line of Control (LoC) came under heavy artillery shelling by Pakistani troops the previous day.
As many as 13 civilians including two women and four children were also killed and 59 injured in the Pakistan firing and shelling in multiple sectors of the LoC and International Border (IB) across Jammu and Kashmir.
A resident of Haryana, Mr. Kumar belonged to the Army’s 5-Field regiment. “The GOC (general officer commanding) and all ranks of White Knight Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of Lance naik Kumar of 5 Field Regiment, who laid down his life on May 7 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in Poonch sector,” the Army said in a post on ‘X’.
The Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi also paid tribute to the slain non-commissioned officer. He also said that the Indian Army “stands in solidarity with the innocent civilians who are victims of attacks orchestrated through indiscriminate artillery shelling by the adversary in the Poonch “, adding, “The nefarious designs of our enemies have been and will continue to be thwarted with resolute and punitive action”.
The Army’s Nagrota (Jammu)-based 16 Corps -also known as White Knight Corps- issued a similar statement, and said, “We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians.”
A report from Chandigarh said that 32-year-old Kumar, a resident of Haryana’s Palwal district, is survived by his wife and two minor children. His two younger brothers are also serving in the armed forces. According to his father, Daya Chand, he joined the Army in 2014. “My son died while serving his motherland,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in view of the heightened tensions and apprehension of escalation in hostilities along the LoC and International Border (IB) and beyond, the J&K authorities have announced that all the schools and other educational institutions in the border areas of both Jammu and Kashmir Valley regions and located in the vicinity of Srinagar, Awantipore and Jammu airports will remain closed till further orders. The district administrations have also set up 24×7 control rooms in all the 20 districts of the twin regions.