Nagrota Attack: Two Army Officers and Five Jawans Martyred

The administration ordered shutting down of schools in Nagrota after exchange of fire between army and terrorists.

Army personnel take position during an encounter after militants attacked an Army camp in Nagrota. (Photo: PTI)

Two Indian Army officers and five jawans were killed in an eight-hour long gun battle at a military camp near the army’s sensitive 16 Corps headquarters in Nagrota, J&K, on Tuesday, Defence PRO Manish Mehta said.

Three militants were also neutralised in the attack, he added.

Major Kunal, one of the officers who died in the attack. (Photo: The Quint)

Major Akshay Girish Kumar was also martyred in the attack. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Akshay Girish)

“There was hostage-like situation at Nagrota army camp but all the 12 soldiers, two ladies and two children held captive, were successfully rescued,” he further informed.

The two officers, said a defence spokesperson, who died fighting the terrorists were:

• Major Gosavi Kunal Mannadir (33), a resident of Maharashtra's Solapur district
• Major Akshay Girish Kumar (31), a resident of Bengaluru in Karnataka

The other soldiers who were killed in the encounter were:

• Havildar Sukhraj Singh (32), a resident of Gurdaspur in Punjab,
• Lance Naik Kadam Sambhaji Yeshowanttro (32), from Nanded in Maharashtra,
• Grenadier Raghvendra Singh (28), a resident of Dholpur in Rajasthan,
• Rifleman Asim Rai (32), from Khotang in Nepal

The details of the seventh solider were not given by the army saying his family was yet to be informed.

Three AK 47, 20 AK magazines, 16 pistol rounds, 31 grenades and other war like stores recovered have been recovered from the bodies of the terrorists, the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), BSF said.

How it Happened

A police officer said the group of an unknown number of militants entered the field regiment camp of the army around 5:30 am in Nagrota. The militants are fidayeens or suicide attackers who came heavily armed.

The terrorists were reportedly wearing army uniforms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has also been looped in.

A high alert has been issued in Katra region, including Vaishno Devi shrine and other religious places.

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Why Nagrota Is Strategically Important

The camp is situated close to the headquarters of the Indian Army's 16 Corps – a massive military formation that acts as a nerve centre to fight militancy and defend the borders in the Jammu region.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which runs through Nagrota, has been closed as the security forces cordoned off the area.

There are a lot of nallahs in an otherwise plain terrain, which allows attackers to hide, said defence expert, Lt Gen Shankar Prasad.

The local administration has ordered shutting down of schools in the area. Lt Gen DS Hooda had reportedly warned of increasing attacks in the southern part of Jammu and Kashmir as the northern part gets colder with the onset of winters.

Simultaneous Encounter in Samba

Meanwhile, an encounter also broke out between an infiltrating group of militants and BSF troops along the International Border in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Three infiltrators were killed and six BSF men, including a DIG, were injured in the gunfire.

Nagrota and Samba are approximately 60 kms apart.

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(With inputs from IANS)