A braveheart of Jammu and Kashmir police, Head Constable Bashir Ahmad, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty after neutralising a Pakistani terrorist in the Billawar tehsil of Kathua district late Saturday evening, was eagerly waiting to come home to finalise the marriage arrangements of his elder daughter and son.
On Sunday his mortal remains, draped in the tricolor, reached home after a formal wreath-laying ceremony at the police lines. A large number of close relatives and family friends were assembled at their residence to pay their last tributes to him.
Only recently the family had finalised the marriage proposal of their elder daughter. Before returning to his duty, Bashir had promised his elder brother to firm up the marriage proposal of his son before decide the dates.
“My brother wanted to throw a big party after finalising the marriage proposals of his daughter and son”, Barkat Ali, elder brother of the martyred head constable, told The Pioneer at his residence in Channi Himmat.
“My brother was very brave. He made a supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. We are proud of him”. He leaves behind his four children and wife. He said that when my brother was shifting one of his injured colleagues he too received bullet injuries and sacrificed his life”.
Meanwhile, DGP J&K RR. Swain has also condoled the martyrdom of the braveheart HC Bashir Ahmad of J and K Police, who sacrificed his life in an encounter with foreign terrorists in Kathua district.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain said the search operation was launched in the village on Saturday following information about the presence of three to four foreign terrorists.
Head constable Bashir Ahmad laid down his life and two officers - a DSP and an Assistant Sub-Inspector - were injured in the encounter, he said, adding both the officers are stable.
A terrorist was also killed in an ongoing operation.
The body of the terrorist was recovered from the scene of the encounter at Kog-Mandli in Billawar tehsil this afternoon, the officials said.
A massive search operation is underway in the village for the second day. Talking to reporters near the scene of the encounter, Anand Jain said the whole area is under a tight security cordon and an operation is underway to neutralise the three to four foreign terrorists hiding in the area.
Asked about the interception of the terrorist group ahead of the third phase of polls on October 1, the police officer said the operations against terrorists are going on and will continue.
“We are getting continuous information about terrorists and subsequently conducting operations with an endeavour to neutralise them as soon as possible,” he said.
He said adequate security arrangements have been put in place in all poll-bound areas to ensure that there are no terror-related incidents and a violence-free third phase.
Meanwhile, another encounter broke out in the Thannamadi area of Rajouri on Sunday. According to a police spokesman, a joint search operation was launched by the security forces at Manial Gali under the jurisdiction of Thanamandi, Rajouri. “Contact has been established and a few rounds have been fired from both sides. Area is cordoned off”.
