Himachal Village Gathers For Last Rites Of Indian Army JCO Killed In Kishtwar Encounter Amid Shouts Of 'Jai Hind'

A somber atmosphere enveloped Barnog village in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Tuesday (12 November) as the body of Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar was brought home for his final rites.

Amid shouts of "Jai Hind" and the grief of his loved ones, family members and villagers gathered in large numbers to honor him. Rakesh Kumar tragically lost his life in a firefight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Sunday.

He had been planning to rebuild his home, damaged by monsoon rains in the last monsoon and his family was staying in rented accommodation. He thought of rebuilding it in January, said his brother Karam Singh.

Rakesh leaves behind his wife, Bhanupriya, their children—daughter Yashashwini (13) and son Pranav (7)—and his 90-year-old mother, Bhati Devi, Hindustan Times reported.

His remains were flown to Kangni helipad by a special Army helicopter on Monday, then moved to Ner Chowk Medical College before being brought to his village on Tuesday morning.

Rakesh Kumar, part of the Army's 2 Para unit, was killed, and three other soldiers were injured as they pursued a group of terrorists responsible for the recent abduction and killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in Kishtwar.

The incident triggered a large-scale search operation in the Kuntwara and Keshwan areas of Jammu, with special forces commandos leading the search. A faction linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the VDGs' deaths.

In separate incidents across Jammu this year, a total of 16 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three VDGs have lost their lives. Security forces have neutralized 13 terrorists in the region, while in Kashmir, nine personnel and 15 civilians were killed in terror attacks, with 24 terrorists being eliminated by security forces.