Jammu & Kashmir: Under fire, 'foreign intruders' forced to beat a retreat

JAMMU: Sources said Lance Naik Subhash Chander suffered life-threatening wounds following the gunfight in Poonch and was shifted from the remote location to a civilian hospital, but he couldn't be saved. The body was handed over to the Army after autopsy, an officer said.

According to sources, the shootout broke out after troops detected "suspicious movements" along the border and fired shots towards that direction. Chander was caught in terrorist counterfire. The guards forced the "intruders" to retreat, and it is suspected that the terrorists suffered a fatality. A search is underway in the rain-hit area, sources said.

The skirmish followed two attacks on Monday, which targeted the home of Shaurya Chakra gallantry award-winning village defence guard Purushottam Kumar and a military post in Gundha-Khawas village in Rajouri district.

The terrorists attacked Kumar's house under the assumption that he was present. Kumar, known for gunning down a Pakistani terrorist in his village on Aug 6 last year, was away but his uncle Vijay Kumar suffered minor wounds in the firing.