New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each and a government job to the kin of the four soldiers from the state in the Poonch terror attack. "We received the very sad news of five soldiers being martyred in the incident (terrorist attack), out of which four were from Punjab," he said. These heroes displayed the utmost dedication in defending the country's unity and their sacrifice will inspire their fellow soldiers to perform their duties with far more devotion and commitment," news agency PTI quoted Mann as sating while speaking to reporters in Moga district. During the country's freedom struggle, Mann said, Punjabis contributed 90 per cent. "To keep this freedom intact, our brave jawans are guarding the borders," he said.


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Earlier in the day, a Bomb Disposal Squad and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police reached the spot at Bhimber Gali in Poonch, where the ambush attack took place. A massive search operation was also launched on Friday morning in the forests of Bata-Doriya area to track the terrorists.



Five jawans were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire following a amush attack by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in the Poonch district. The army said the terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area, fired upon the vehicle and likely used grenades, which caused the vehicle to go up in flames. The fallen bravehearts were identified as Hav Mandeep Singh, L/NK Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh and Sep Sewak Singh, all natives of Punjab and L/NK Debashish Biswal, a native of Odisha. 


Punjab Guv Offers Condolences To The Fallen Jawans


 


Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, too, released a statement extending his condolences to the fallen bravehearts. A statement from the governor`s office stated that he was "deeply saddened to hear the news of the martyrdom of five of our soldiers, including four from Punjab and one from Odisha", adding that "their sacrifice for the security of the country will not go in vain". 


"The whole country will always remember and respect him," the release quoted the Punjab Governor as saying.