Kin, villagers mourn deaths of army officers, cop in encounter

A pall of gloom descended on villages in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday as families and relatives mourned the deaths of two decorated army officers and a Jammu and Kashmir police officer during an encounter with terrorists in Anantnag district a day earlier

- Robert Abraham, Neeraj Mohan , Ashiq Hussain

In Punjab's Mohali district, thousands of mourners gathered at Bharaunjian village to mourn the death of Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) that was part of the counterinsurgency operation in Anantnag when the gunbattle with the terrorists erupted on Wednesday.

The Colonel's mortal remains are expected to arrive in Chandigarh on Friday morning, after which the final rites will take place later in the day.

Those who turned up at the army officer's house to express grief with the family said the army should give a befitting reply to the terrorists. "The defence and home ministers must avenge the loss of our soldiers. The forces must eliminate the terrorists," the Colonel's uncle, Harmail Singh, said.