Udhampur, September 20, 2025 : A soldier of the Indian Army, who sustained critical injuries in a late-night encounter with terrorists, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday as joint security forces resumed a combing operation in the higher reaches of Udhampur district.
The Encounter
According to officials, the gunfight erupted on Friday evening when terrorists opened fire on a joint search team of the Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police in the Seoj Dhar forest belt—a rugged region straddling Dudu-Basantgarh (Udhampur) and Bhaderwah (Doda).
The injured soldier was immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital but could not survive.
Search Operation Resumes
Officials confirmed that the forest area was cordoned off overnight, and a massive search operation resumed early Saturday. Intelligence inputs suggest that 2–3 terrorists remain holed up in the dense terrain.
To strengthen the operation, reinforcements with drones and sniffer dogs were deployed from both Udhampur and Doda sectors. Despite heavy combing, no fresh contact was established with the terrorists till the last reports
