Army officer killed in J-K a day after getting gallantry medal

Srinagar: An army officer – who was awarded a gallantry medal on Republic Day – and a policeman were killed in a gunfight on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.
Two Hizbul Mujahideen guerrillas were also killed in the gun battle.
Col. Munindra Nath Rai of 9 Gorkha Rifles, seconded to the Rashtriya Rifles, was awarded a Yudh Seva Medal Monday, the army said in a statement in New Delhi.
According to army officials, Col. Rai was commanding his battalion in intense counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir.
On receipt of specific information about the presence of two guerrillas in Tral, he swiftly planned and executed an operation to eliminate them.
The two included the ‘district commander’ of Hizbul Mujahideen, the army said.
“In the same operation, one head constable of Jammu and Kashmir Police also died,” the statement said, adding that a soldier was injured and was in a critical state. (IANS)