Kathua terror attack: The heartbreaking stories of five martyred soldiers from Uttarakhand

Thati Dagar, a hamlet nestled in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district, is known for its pristine natural landscapes and serene environment. At least it used to. Now, the sound of loud wails fills the air. The village is home to one of the five soldiers who died in an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua.

The Negi family, still grappling with the loss of Major Pranay Negi (33), faced an unimaginable blow.

On a fateful Monday (July 8) the family received a devastating phone call: Pranay’s cousin, 26-year-old Rifleman Adarsh Negi, was killed in action during a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua.

“Just two months ago, we lost a son who died serving his country. He was a Major,” Rifleman’s paternal uncle, Balwant Singh Negi told NDTV. Major Pranay, who was an on-duty soldier in Leh, died after he fell ill.

He adds, “Now, we have found out that five Armymen from the Pauri-Garhwal region were killed in a terrorist attack on a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir, in which five people from our region have died, including Adarsh,” Rifleman’s paternal uncle, Balwant Singh Negi said.

On Monday, terrorists hurled a grenade and opened fire at an army truck that was on a routine patrol near  Badnota village, 150 km from Kathua, which killed five Indian Army personnel in action and left six others wounded.

As the bodies of the five soldiers arrived on Tuesday evening, families and communities from Uttarakhand villages plunged into profound grief. Here’s a closer look at their stories.

‘Lost 2 sons in 2 months’

Adarsh, who joined the Garhwal Rifles in 2018, was a “sharp kid” and always dreamt of becoming an Army officer, his uncle Balwant told NDTV.

After completing his 12 from a school in the village, he went to Srinagar for his B.Sc. However, just two years into his graduation he left his studies, he adds.

“When Adarsh cracked the Army recruitment test, he decided to leave his studies midway. His decision was driven by the need to financially support his family.” Nandan Singh Rawat, one of his family members told The Times of India adding that he last visited his village in April to attend his cousin’s wedding.

Adarsh is survived by his father Dalbir who is a farmer, mother Guddi Devi (47), and two siblings – Anjali (30), and Abhishek (27).

“We have lost two sons in two months. I would request the government to take some strong steps. Employment is scarce and children who go to serve the country from Garhwal and Kumaon often return as martyrs. This breaks the entire family,” Balwant told NDTV.

Jammu and Kashmir has been facing a string of attacks for the past couple of months.

This is the second terror attack in the Jammu division since an attack on an Army base in the Manjakote region of Rajouri district on Sunday morning resulted in injuries to a soldier.

The attack in Kathua came just 24 hours after two separate disputes in J&K’s Kulgam area resulted in the deaths of six terrorists.

Two troops, including a paratrooper, lost their life in the Saturday encounters, while another soldier was injured, according to authorities, who spoke with NDTV.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami in a post on X expressed grief on the incident and assured all possible support.

‘Fate had different plans’

Along with Adarsh, five other soldiers who were killed in action were from Uttarakhand.

Anuj Negi, a 25-year-old Rifleman in the same regiment as Adarsh hailed from the Dobariya village in Pauri Garhwal district.

Negi who was a son of a labourer had joined the Army and had joined the Army to support his family financially. He got married last year and has now left behind his pregnant wife and his parents.

“Anuj’s wife is two months pregnant. He was overjoyed upon learning the news and was excited about his new role in the family. However, fate had different plans for him,” Sateshwari Devi, one of the villagers told TOI.

His pregnant wife will now be looked after by the villagers, Sateshwari added.

In another village, Papri in Pauri Garhwal, residents remembered Havildar Kamal Singh Rawat, 28, who had just completed 10 years in service, had come home two-and-a-half months ago to get his youngest daughter admitted to school, a villager told PTI.

Education of his two daughters, aged 8 and 4 was all that concerned the soldier, “That’s all he spoke about,” village resident Rajpal Singh Gusain said in a TOI report.

“Kamal was determined to provide better education to his daughters but it was difficult in his village as it is in a remote, hilly area. Due to this, he moved his family, including his wife and mother, to a rented accommodation in Kotdwar city, approximately 70 km from his village,” he added.

He is now survived by his mother, his wife, and two young daughters.

Little did we know it was our last meeting

From Kanda-Bhardar village in Rudraprayag district, 41-year-old, Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat was one of the five soldiers who lost their lives.

He was the only junior commissioner officer in the convoy that got attacked. He is now survived by his mother Mauli Devi, wife, and two children.

It was Laxman Singh Bijwan, head of Kandakhal village, who broke the news to the family. “After the death of his father around seven years ago, Anand and his older brother Kundan Rawat took care of the family,” Bijwan told The Indian Express.

In Tehri Garhwal’s Chaund Jaspur village, a crowd of mourners had gathered outside Naik Vinod Singh Bhandari’s house.

Following the footsteps of his father Veer Singh (65), Bhandari joined the Army in 2011, who had also served and retired from the Army with the same rank.

Survived by his parents, wife and two young children — a four-year-old son and a three-month-old daughter. “He has three sisters,” his uncle, Kirti Singh Negi told The Indian Express. “He last visited the family three months ago and stayed for over 40 days. Little did we know that it was the last time we would see him,” he added.

With inputs from agencies