Pulwama Gunfight: India loses Army major VS Dhoundiyal and three soldiers

4 Indian Army personnel of 55 Rashtriya Rifles, who lost their lives in an encounter with terrorists in Pulwama district, J&K today, have been identified as Major VS Dhoundiyal, Havaldar Sheo Ram, Sepoy Ajay Kumar and Sepoy Hari Singh. The gunfight started late on Sunday after security forces, including the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), surrounded the village following a tip-off that Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants -- the same group that carried out the February 14 attack leaving a toll 49 troopers -- were hiding in the area.

The gun battle comes less than a week after 40 CRPF troopers were blown up in an instant just four days back after their convoy was targeted by a JeM suicide bomber on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Pulwama.

According to Devdiscourse sources, a top Jaish-e-Mohammed commander linked to Pulwama Attack believed to be trapped in the ongoing encounter with security forces.

4 Indian Army personnel of 55 Rashtriya Rifles, who lost their lives in encounter with terrorists in Pulwama district, J&K today, have been identified as Major VS Dhoundiyal, Havaldar Sheo Ram, Sepoy Ajay Kumar and Sepoy Hari Singh; Deferred visual from the encounter site pic.twitter.com/3ngvCmG7LR

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2019