The Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police jointly commemorated the fourth anniversary of Operation Gadol, the September 2023 counter-terrorism operation in the Gadol forests of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, with a wreath-laying ceremony and a Chinar plantation drive at the 19 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion Headquarters in Larkipora.
The ceremony was held in remembrance of the four personnel who laid down their lives during the operation — Colonel Manpreet Singh, KC (P), SM; Major Aashish Dhonchak, SC (P), SM; DSP Humayun Muzzammil Bhat, KC (P); and Sepoy Pardeep Singh, SC (P). Officials said their courage, leadership and devotion to duty continue to inspire both the security forces and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The event was attended by SSP Anantnag Amod Ashok Nagpure and Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel Rohit Rattan, along with officers and other ranks of the Army and J&K Police. Floral tributes were paid to the four martyrs during the wreath-laying.
Officials described the commemoration as a reaffirmation that the sacrifices of September 2023 have not faded from institutional memory. “The ceremony served as a solemn reaffirmation that the sacrifices made during the operation continue to be remembered with the deepest respect and gratitude,” officials said.
As a lasting tribute, four Chinar saplings were planted near the main gate of the battalion headquarters, now known as “Colonel Manpreet Singh Dwar.”
Officials said the four trees stand together as a living memorial to all four fallen personnel. The Chinar, closely tied to the landscape and heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, was chosen for its association with strength, resilience, longevity and continuity across generations.
The Chinar Corps, in a separate statement, said it stood in solemn remembrance of its fallen heroes. “Their sacrifice shall never be forgotten, their legacy shall never fade, and their courage shall continue to inspire all who serve the nation,” the statement said.
Operation Gadol was launched in mid-September 2023 after specific intelligence on the presence of terrorists in the densely forested higher reaches around Gadol in Kokernag. A joint column of 19 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police, led from the front by the battalion’s commanding officer, established contact in difficult, cliff-and-forest terrain.
In the opening burst of fire from a well-concealed position, Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Aashish Dhonchak, DSP Humayun Muzzammil Bhat and Sepoy Pardeep Singh were fatally hit.
Colonel Singh, of the Sikh Light Infantry and then commanding 19 RR, was a Sena Medal awardee who had earlier declined a peace-station posting to remain with the battalion in south Anantnag.
DSP Bhat, from the Police Special Operations Group and the son of a retired senior police officer, was a young father. All four were later decorated posthumously — Colonel Singh and DSP Bhat with the Kirti Chakra, and Major Dhonchak and Sepoy Pardeep Singh with the Shaurya Chakra — among the rare instances of two Kirti Chakras and two Shaurya Chakras arising from a single operation.
