Doda encounter: family of Army officer killed in action seeks accountability from Centre

The family of Captain Brijesh Thapa, who lost his life in an encounter between terrorists and the Army in J&K's Doda, questioned the government's silence over an uptick in soldier casualties in the region.

Speaking to ANI news agency, the uncle of Brijesh, Yogesh Thapa criticised the Narendra Modi government for not taking action against the terrorists despite them repeatedly carrying out attacks.

"It is easy to say he sacrificed his life for the country, but the loss we have suffered as a family can never be coped with... We don't know when the government will take action against militants. Our soldiers are being killed every day," Yogesh was quoted as saying.

Brijesh was among the four Indian Army personnel who were killed in action during an encounter with terrorists in the Doda.

Speaking about Brijesh, Yogesh said, "We are waiting for his (Major Brijesh Thapa) body to be brought, after which we will go to Darjeeling (West Bengal). His parents live in Darjeeling. He joined the service for five years and was brought up in army areas as his father is a Colonel in the army. We expect the body to be handed over by tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, the Army said that its Udhampur-based northern command is committed to eliminating the scourge of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, as it paid tribute to four soldiers who died in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Doda district.

The Army said it has been conducting a series of joint and coordinated operations with Jammu and Kashmir Police to eliminate foreign terrorists who have infiltrated from across the border and are moving in the upper reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu region and thereafter to Kashmir.

"These include joint training with J-K Police and Central Armed Police Forces and robust intelligence sharing mechanism between Army, police and other intelligence agencies," the official release said.