Colonel Rai, the commanding officer of 42 Rashtriya Rifles, recipient of Yudh Seva Medal, was killed in an encounter in Tral area of Kashmir on Tuesday
Colonel Munindra Nath Rai was not used to saviour the laurels like the Yudh Seva Medal he won on Republic Day. The brave-heart loved challenges. Hours after his name showed up in the recipients of Yudh Seva Medal winners, Colonel Rai, the commanding officer of 42 Rashtirya Rifles (RR), found himself in the thick of action again in Tral area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
What happened?
Police said on a specific information regarding presence of militants, J&K police, 42 RR and 185 CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in village Hundru, Tral. "During the search operation militants fired upon the joint search party. Two Hizbul Mujhadeen militants Sheeraz Hassan Dar and Abid Khan alias Hamza were killed in the ensuing encounter," a police spokesman said.
Leading from the front was Col Rai who charged at the well dug in militants little caring for his own safety. The officer was hit, but he kept his nerves directing his men and pining down the two hardcore militants.
By the time army and police zeroed in on the militants, Col Rai and head constable Sanjeevan Singh were badly wounded. In the hail of bullets by his buddies, Col Rai was removed from the spot and shifted to army hospital at Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar. But the wound proved fatal and brave-heart's life was cut short. Head Constable Singh too succumbed to his wounds.
Who was Colonel Rai?
Commissioned in Gurkha Riffles, Colonel Rai was commanding the 42 RR, which is responsible for counter insurgency operations in Tral, nicknamed Kandahar owing to the huge infestation of militancy in the area. Father of two daughters and son, Col Rai, one of 13 Yudh Seva Medal winners on Republic Day, was posted in the area for more than one and half year and his two year tenure was coming to an end in March.
Was he popular in south Kashmir?
Friends recall the officer as sober, suave and brave who was not only popular among the troops but the local population, a quality which Indian army cherishes in the conflict zones. "He was a soft and sober officer who had built a great rapport with the public in Tral. He was a brave officer who always led his men from the front", Sheikh Faisal Qayoom, sub divisional police officer, a close friend of Col Rai, told dna.
How did his colleagues recall Col Rai as an officer?
"Col Rai was such a great strategist that Tral, which is one of the problem areas as far militancy is concerned, witnessed the peaceful assembly polls recently. His deployment techniques, his area domination exercises and his plan of action was par excellent", said an officer in the security establishment. The officer had penchant for challenges and that is why he was always leading his men from the front in encounters. "He is one who always used to take part in the operations. He was always ready for challenges. Taking on the militants and fighting alongside his troops was his trademark style", said another friend.
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