JAMMU: Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Upendra Dwivedi and other army officers on Wednesday condoled the death of five soldiers in a road accident near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of J&K the day before. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah also expressed deep grief over the tragedy.
“General Upendra Dwivedi COAS and all ranks of the Indian Army express their deep grief over the loss of Subedar Dayanand Tirakannavar, Lance Havildar Anoop, Naik Ghadge Shubham Samadhan, Sepoy Nikure Digamber and Sep Mahesh Marigond in a tragic and unfortunate road accident, while on operational duty. in Poonch, J&K. The Indian Army expresses its deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY posted on its official handle X.
Five soldiers were killed and several others seriously injured after an army vehicle carrying soldiers from the 11 Maratha Light Infantry veered off the road and plunged into a gorge in Balnoi area near an outpost along LoC in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch on Tuesday night. In a statement after the accident, the defense spokesman ruled out any terrorist angle to the tragedy, indicating that the driver had possibly lost control of the vehicle while rounding a curve in the road.
