Kishtwar gunfight: Indian Army paratrooper critically injured in Operation TRASHI-I succumbs

An Indian soldier, who was critically injured in a gun battle with terrorists in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), succumbed to injuries on Monday.

The injured paratrooper, Havildar Gajendra Singh, died during treatment at a military hospital in Jammu during the intervening night of 18 and 19 January.

In a social media post on X, White Knight Corps said: “The GOC, White Knight Corps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces, who made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing a Counter Terrorism operation in the Singpura area during the ongoing Operation TRASHI-I on the intervening night of 18-19 Jan 2026.”

“We honour his indomitable courage, valour and selfless devotion to duty and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this hour of profound grief,” the X post added.

Indian Army’s northern commander, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, also paid homage to the braveheart and said, “His sacrifice and devotion will forever remain etched in our hearts.”

The operation was suspended late Sunday night and resumed early Monday in the challenging terrain with thick vegetation and steep slopes, limiting visibility and movement.

In a separate X post, the White Knight Corps said ‘Operation Trashi-I’ continues in Chatroo.

The post said: “The cordon has been further tightened with search operations expanded. Troops of the corps, along with police and CRPF, remain deployed to dominate the area.”

Multiple teams of the Indian Army, J&K Police, and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the area while maintaining a tight security cordon to ensure that the terrorists do not escape, officials said.

Search teams have busted a terrorist hideout and recovered a large quantity of food items, including rations, utensils, gas cylinders and stoves near the site of the gunfight, they added.

A group of two to three terrorists allegedly affiliated with Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are believed to be hiding in the area, officials said, adding the operation resumed with the first light of day and was ongoing when the last reports were received.

The Kishtwar gunfight marks the third encounter between security forces and militants in the Jammu region this year. Previous encounters took place in the Kahog and Najote forests in the Billawar area of Kathua district on 7 and 13 January, respectively.