Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday paid heartfelt tributes to Head Constable Jagbir Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice in an encounter between security forces and a group of Pakistani terrorists in the Safiyan forest area of the Kathua district.

The Chief Minister laid a wreath on the casket containing the body of Jagbir Singh at a ceremony that was held at the police headquarters ground here.

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He consoled the martyr cop’s father, who burst into tears as he laid a wreath on the body of his son. Omar said that the bravery and dedication of Jagbir Singh will always be remembered.

Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary also paid tributes to Jagbir Singh.

Jagbir, who was chowki incharge of a border post near the fierce encounter spot near Jakhole, was reported missing, and his bullet-ridden body was found on Friday in the Safiyan forest area. With his martyrdom, the number of cops killed in the gunfight increased to four. Two Pakistani terrorists have so far been killed.

The wreath-laying ceremony of the other three cops killed in the gunfight was held on Friday evening at the district police lines at Kathua, from where their bodies were sent to their respective villages.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said during the wreath-laying ceremony in Kathua on Friday evening that anti-terror operations in the Safiyan forest area of Jakhole in Kathua district were ongoing.

Speaking to reporters at the district police lines, the DGP hoped that the security forces, including the Army, CRPF, and J&K Police, would wind up the ongoing operation only after the elimination of the remaining terrorists.

The DGP said that the resolve and mission of the J&K Police to stem terrorism remains strong. “We will not rest until we stop such activities by our neighbour (Pakistan).”

He said the terrorists engaged in the Kathua encounter were the same who had escaped the security cordon in the Saniyal forest area after a brief gunfight.

The DGP said, “We lost four bravehearts who were targeted by terrorists while climbing a hillock to reach their hideout. Since terrorists were at a vantage point by positioning themselves on the heights, they targeted our men.”

Elaborating on the sequence of the encounter that entered the seventh day on Saturday, the DGP said that a couple had reported spotting Pakistani terrorists in Saniyal on the evening of 23 March. Immediately, a team of officers was dispatched to the location. “They encountered the terrorists, but the attackers escaped, leaving behind four rifle magazines, three IEDs, and two grenades. The entire area was cordoned by multiple forces, including the Army, BSF, CRPF, and J&K Police, and the operation lasted for four days,” the DGP said.

“We got information that they had fled to another spot, and on Friday, our forces had an encounter with the terrorists, and two of them were killed on the spot,” the DGP said. However, the bodies of the remaining terrorists, presumed dead, have not been located so far.

The operation remains a high-priority mission aimed at eliminating cross-border terrorist threats and ensuring the safety of the region, the DGP added.