Jammu, 23 May

Chief of Staff of White Knight Corps Major General Shailendra Singh on Friday led the wreath-laying ceremony for Sepoy Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, who was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.

The ceremony was held at the military hospital in Jammu before his mortal remains were dispatched to his hometown for the last rites.

Major General Singh, along with other Army ranks, police, BSF, and civilian officials laid wreaths on the tricolour-wrapped coffin of the deceased, officials said.

Sepoy Pandurang was killed in an encounter with terrorists during a cordon and search operation launched by security forces in Kishtwar district on Thursday.

The operation to track down four hiding terrorists is underway in Kishtwar’s Singhpora-Chatroo area, they added.

Sepoy Pandurang was a resident of Karandi village, Akole tehsil, Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. He was serving in the 17th Rashtriya Rifles deployed in Kishtwar district.