22-yr-old soldier killed as protesters hurl stones at Army convoy in J&K

Srinagar: A soldier was killed after protesters hurled stones at an Army convoy passing through the Anantnag bypass tri-junction in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

The Army soldier, identified as Rajendra Singh, was part of a Quick Reaction Team which was providing security cover to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) convoy on Thursday.

“At around 1800 hrs, when the convoy was passing through the Anantnag bypass tri-junction near NH-44, few youths hurled stones at the vehicle and Singh was injured after being hit by a stone directly on the head," an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

22-year-old Singh was provided immediate medical assistance and taken to 92 Base Hospital where the soldier succumbed to injuries.

Singh, a resident of Uttarakhand's Badena village, had joined the Army in 2016 and is survived by his parents.

Singh was among the three jawans killed in separate incidents, including anti-militancy operations, in Kashmir valley. The Army official said that the mortal remains of the martyrs were flown for last rites to their native places, where they would be laid to rest with full military honours.

The other two soldiers were identified as Lance Naik Brajesh Kumar and Sepoy Ngamsiamliana.

Brajesh Kumar, 32, sustained splinter injuries during a fierce operation against militants in Baramulla district's Sopore area on Friday. A native of Himachal Pradesh's Nanawin village, Kumar had joined the Army in 2004. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.

Ngamsiamliana was killed on Thursday during an attack on an Army camp in Luragam village of Tral in Pulwama district. He hailed from village Rengtekawn in Mizoram and had joined the Army in 2013. He is survived by his parents.