Army’s Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar killed in Kishtwar encounter, laid to rest in Himachal

The mortal remains of Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army’s 2 Para Regiment, arrived in Barnog village, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday. Kumar, who was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Sunday, was brought by an Army helicopter to Kangni helipad on Monday, then taken to Ner Chowk Medical College, and finally transported to his home village for last rites.

Kumar’s family, including his wife Bhanupriya, 13-year-old daughter Yashshwini, 7-year-old son Pranav, and 90-year-old mother Bhati Devi, gathered along with hundreds of villagers and relatives to pay tribute. Crowds at the ceremony raised slogans of “Jai Hind” as Kumar’s body arrived, with family and locals honoring his sacrifice in the line of duty. Villagers paid their respects as the body was carried to the family’s residence.

According to Kumar’s brother, Karam Singh, the soldier had been planning to rebuild his family’s monsoon-damaged ten-room house in Barnog, where they had been living in rented quarters since last year. “Rakesh, who had come on leave one-and-a-half months ago, had promised to start the construction of the new house in January,” Singh said.

The fatal encounter was part of an ongoing security operation launched by the Army in Kishtwar, Jammu. The operation was initiated after the kidnapping and killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in Kuntwara and Keshwan areas. Kashmir Tigers, a faction of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for these killings. Kumar’s unit engaged in a combing operation in pursuit of the suspects, during which he was killed and three other soldiers were injured.

The year 2024 has seen multiple incidents in Jammu and Kashmir involving security personnel, civilians, and Village Defence Guards. In Jammu, 16 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three VDGs have died in terror-related incidents, and security forces have killed 13 terrorists in response. In Kashmir, nine security personnel and 15 civilians have lost their lives, with 24 terrorists neutralized by security forces in the region.