Patna, June 7 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday expressed profound grief over the martyrdom of Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh of the Indian Army, who succumbed to injuries sustained during Operation Sindoor in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh, a resident of Buxar district, was critically injured in cross-border firing from Pakistan and later attained martyrdom while defending the nation.

Singh is the sixth defence personnel to lay down his life in Operation Sindoor, an ongoing security operation in the region aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism.

In an official statement, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said: “Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh made the supreme sacrifice while defending the integrity and sovereignty of the nation. His courage and dedication will be remembered for generations.”

Kumar further announced that Singh’s last rites would be conducted with full police honours, and the state government would provide compensation and support to the martyr’s family.

The news of Singh’s death has plunged his native village in Buxar into deep mourning, with residents and local leaders paying tributes to the fallen hero.

His bravery and sacrifice have evoked widespread respect and sorrow across the state.

During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force destroyed the nine locations belonging to terror groups in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on May 7 after a group of terrorists had mercilessly gunned down 26 innocent tourists at the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam on April 22 and disappeared from the scene.

During Operation Sindoor and the search operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, five soldiers of Bihar, earlier, lost their lives in defending the nation.

Among them, Mohammad Imtiaz (BSF) of Saran, Rambabu Singh (Indian Army) of Siwan, Manish Kumar (Indian Army) of Nawada, Sikandar Raut (47 Rashtriya Rifle) of Nalanda and Santosh Yadav (Indian Army) of Bhagalpur have achieved martyrdom.

–IANS

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