The two Indian Army soldiers, Captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi and Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas, who tragically lost their lives in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Laleali area of Akhnoor sector, Jammu district, on Tuesday, were due to get married in two months’ time.

The explosion, believed to have been caused by Pakistani terrorists, cut short the lives of the soldiers barely two months before their weddings, scheduled in April. Captain Bakshi was scheduled to marry on April 5 and Naik Manhas on April 20.

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The incident occurred while both the soldiers were on patrol duty near a forward post in Bhattal. The IED detonated at around 3:50 pm. The White Knight Corps of the Indian Army confirmed the attack in a statement on social media. “Suspected Improvised Explosive Device blast reported in #Laleali in #Akhnoor Sector during a fence patrol, resulting in two fatalities. Our troops are dominating the area, and search #operations are underway. White Knight Corps salutes and pays tribute to the supreme sacrifice of two gallant soldiers,” read the statement.

The incident is particularly significant as it occurred just a day after Lt General Navin Sachdeva, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the White Knight Corps, visited the forward areas in Rajouri in the wake of the ongoing “hostile activities” near the LoC.

Captain Bakshi, 28, who hailed from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, was set to marry an officer from the Army Medical Corps. He was laid to rest with full military honours on Thursday at Muktidham in Khirgaon, Hazaribagh. The bereaved family of the martyr revealed that Bakshi had recently returned from leave after completing some preparations for the wedding. His father, Ajninder Singh Bakshi, shared that his son had always dreamed of joining the Army.

Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas, 29, from Bri Kamila village in Samba, Jammu, was engaged barely two weeks ago. His wedding was planned for April 20. Manhas, who served in Siachen, Kashmir, and Punjab before his posting in Akhnoor, had just returned to duty after a two-week leave for his ring ceremony. His father, Chagatar Singh, a retired police officer, expressed immense pride in his son’s service, noting that he had been dedicated to serving the country from a young age.

Both soldiers had bright futures ahead of them, but their lives were tragically cut short while serving their nation.