Gloom descends on Dharamsala

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 3

A pall of gloom descended in the area after the news of the martyrdom of Major Anuj Sood reached here this morning. He was among five security personnel killed during an encounter with terrorists at a village in Rajwar forests of North Kashmir.

The slain Major’s wife Akriti Singh was here at parents’ home when she received the news. She had last interacted with him on WhatsApp at 2 am when he informed her that he was all right and the operation was going on well against terrorists.

Akriti was inconsolable and was not in position to talk. The martyr’s father-in-law, Subedar Major Hoshiar Singh (retd), said he was proud of his son-in-law who sacrificed his life for the country. “However, he was just 30-year-old and was very young. My heart goes out for the loss of my daughter,” he said.

The martyr’s paternal house is in Dehra of Kangra district, but the family is settled in Panchkula. He had joined the Army seven years ago and married Akriti Singh, a software engineer, in September 2017.

The couple had not met since November last year when Anuj left for Kashmir.