GUWAHATI:
The wreath-laying ceremony of seven Army jawans, who lost their lives in an avalanche in the high-altitude area of the Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh on February 6, was held at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam’s Sponitpur district, on February 12.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Gajraj Corps (4 Corps) Lt Gen Ravin Khosla and other senior military officials paid last respects to the brave hearts.
After the ceremony, the mortal remains were sent to Akhnoor, Kathua, Dharkalan, Khour, Bajinath, Kangra, Ghamarwin and Batala – their ancestral places in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Havildar Jugal Kishore, Rifleman Arun Kattal, Rifleman Akshay Pathania, Rifleman Vishal Sharma, Rifleman Rakesh Singh, Rifleman Ankesh Bhardwaj and General (TA) Gurbaj Singh made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty when their patrolling vehicle was struck in the avalanche.
Search and rescue operations were launched immediately including airlifting by specialised teams. The rescue teams, displaying the highest degree of camaraderie and esprit-de-corps, recovered their fallen brothers under hostile weather conditions in an area located at an altitude of 14500 feet which has treacherous terrain and high peaks.