Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 5-Field Regiment was among the 13 persons killed in intense Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector, officials said on Thursday.
The 32-year-old soldier hailed from a village in Haryana’s Palwal district and had joined the Army in 2014. He is survived by his wife and two minor children. Two of his younger brothers are also serving in the armed forces.
“My son died while serving his motherland,” said his father, Daya Chand.
The shelling on Wednesday was one of the heaviest in recent years, coming in the wake of missile strikes by India under 'Operation Sindoor'. The Poonch sector saw the worst impact, with artillery and mortar fire from across the border claiming 13 lives.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday paid tribute to Murali Naik, a soldier from the state who was also killed in the shelling.
Naik hailed from Gorantla mandal in Sri Satyasai district.
“My homage to martyr Murali Naik who sacrificed his life for the country. I extend my deep sympathies to his family members,” Naidu said in a post on X.
(With inputs from PTI)