SRINAGAR: Army on Friday said one of its soldier, who was part of Quick Reaction Team (QRT), was killed in stone pelting incident in south Kashmir's Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said soldiers of QRT were providing security to Border Roads Organisation (BRO) convoy passing through south Kashmir's Anantnag district yesterday. When around 6 pm, the convoy was passing through the Anantnag bypass tri-junction near NH-44, few youths pelted stones at the vehicle.
"Sepoy Rajendra Singh, who was part of QRT, was injured after being hit by a stone directly on the head. He was provided immediate first aid and taken to military hospital in Srinagar," he said.
Kalia said the soldier succumbed to head injury in the hospital. Sepoy Rajendra, 22, hailed from village Badena in Pithoragarh, Uttrakhand and had joined Army in 2016. He is survived by his parents.
The stone pelting incident took place amid encounter between militants and security forces at Arwani in Anantnag. The encounter site was a few kilometres away from the place where the stone pelting incident took place. The death of a soldier comes at a time when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and State Governor Satya Pal Malik had stated that stone pelting incidents have come down in Valley in last few months.
In his interaction with media during his day-long visit to Kashmir on October 23, Rajnath had disclosed that stone pelting incidents had come down in last four months. The State Governor also told media on Thursday that stone-pelting incidents and violence has dropped in last few months.
Earlier, on April 4 this year, two CRPF men were killed and two others injured after a speedy CRPF vehicle came under stone pelting from a mob in Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district and hit a motorcycle. Two persons travelling on the bike, who were both CRPF men, were killed in the accident. The accident had taken place after the driver of CRPF vehicle lost control of the vehicle after coming under stone pelting and hit the motorcycle.