Two Himachali among 7 army men martyred in Arunachal avalanche hit

Dharamsala, February 9, 2022: Seven Indian Army soldiers who were stuck by an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh's Kameng Sector have been found dead. The seven Army personnel were part of a patrol team and had gone missing after being hit by the avalanche in Tawang district. According to Eastern Command, Indian Army, the seven soldiers include--Hav Jugal Kishore, Rfn Arun Kattal, Rfn Akshay Pathania, Rfn Vishal Sharma, Rfn Rakesh Singh, Rfn Ankesh Bhardwaj and General Gurbaj Singh.
Two of these  are from Himachal. 21-year-old Ankesh Bhardwaj, a resident of Sau Panchayat of Ghumarwin sub-division of Bilaspur district and  Rakesh Singh, a 26-year-old Jawan of 19 Jack Rifle of Maheshgarh village of Baijnath sub-division of Kangra district. Deputy Commissioner Dr Nipun Jindal confirmed it on behalf of the Kangra district administration here today.
DC said that Rakesh Singh of Kangra district was one of those seven Indian soldiers who were killed in an avalanche in a high altitude area in Kameng sector of Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on February 6.
The father of  Rakesh Singh has also served in the army. Rakesh got the inspiration to serve the country by joining the army from his father, retired Jigri Ram. Sources said  that Rakesh Singh was married to Anjali Devi some time back and they also have a six-month-old child.
The Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh expressed grief and tweeted, “Deeply pained by the demise of Indian Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche in Kemang Sector, Arunachal Pradesh. These brave soldiers lost their lives while serving the nation. I salute their courage and service. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families.”