Army JCO & 2 soldiers fall off cliff in Kashmir’s Kupwara, die

While two of them belong to Himachal Pradesh, the third soldier is from Jammu.

Srinagar | Updated: 11 January, 2023 3:32 pm IST

The three Army men fell into a deep gorge after slipping a narrow snow-clad track in Kupwara.

Three soldiers of the Indian Army lost their lives after slipping into a deep gorge during a regular operational task in Machhal Sector of Kupwara district in Kashmir on Tuesday evening.

Their mortal remains were recovered by rescuers early morning on Wednesday.

As part of a routine task, they were moving towards their forward post on a narrow winter track. At about 5:30 pm on Tuesday, snow along the narrow track broke and as a result, a junior commanding officer (JCO) and two jawans slipped into the gorge.

A search and rescue operation was immediately launched by troops from the nearest post. In spite of adverse weather and rough terrain, sustained efforts of the search party led to the recovery of mortal remains of the three brave soldiers between 04:15 am to 04:45 am on Wednesday morning, officials said.

The martyrs have been identified as 43-year-old Naib Subedar Parshotam Kumar, Havaldar Amrik Singh (34) and JCO Amit Sharma (23).

Parshotam, a resident of Jammu, joined the Army in 1996. He is survived by his wife and two children. Amrik belonged to Una district of Himachal Pradesh and is survived by his wife and son. JCO Sharma of Una in Himachal Pradesh joined the force in 2019. He is survived by his mother.

Mortal remains of the three bravehearts will be taken for last rites to their native places, where they would be laid to rest with full military honours.

“In this hour of grief, the Indian Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved families and remains committed to their dignity and wellbeing,” said the Army.

Army soldiers guard India’s borders while working in hard weather conditions and sub-zero temperatures. They patrol on rough tracks covered by thick layers of snow in forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Amid the cold wave in the plains, several videos have appeared on social media platforms showing soldiers trudging through snow-filled mountainous tracks.