HYDERABAD: To honour Major Vibhuti Shankar D
houndiyal, who made the supreme sacrifice for the country fighting terrorists in
Jammu and Kashmir, the technical warrior block in the Faculty of Degree Engineering (FDE), Military College of Electronics &
Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad was renamed Dhoundiyal Block on Friday.
Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh, Commandant, MCEME, Saroj Dhoundiyal mother of Major (Late) VS Dhoundiyal and Nitika Kaul, wife of Major (Late) VS Dhoundiyal) were present at the event.
On February 18 this year, Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was killed in action in a valiant fight with terrorists in village Pingalana in J&K. During the exchange of fire, he sustained fatal multiple gunshot wounds but was successful in eliminating two foreign terrorists and one local terrorist.
The officer graduated from MCEME in Dec 2017 after obtaining Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Stream and thereafter got posted to 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion (Grenadiers) in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
During 2018-2019, Maj Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal’s unit 55 RR, was deployed in
Pulwama district in J&K and was engaged in operations against the militants on a regular basis.
Following the terrorists’ attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama on Feb 14, 2019, the security forces were maintaining a state of high alert and subsequently a massive operation was launched to nab the perpetrators of the attack.
On Feb 17, 2019, the security forces received credible information from the intelligence sources about the presence of terrorists in Pinglan village of Pulwama district. Based on the intelligence inputs, 55 RR along with the Special Operation Group of J&K police launched a search and destroy operation in Pinglan a neighborhood of Kakpora the home of the terrorist, who had attacked the CRPF convoy on Feb 14.
The assault team was being led by
Brigadier Harbir Singh himself and Maj Vibhuti was part of the team. On being challenged, the terrorists opened fire and a fierce gun battle ensued thereafter lasting for over 20 hours. A number of hardcore terrorists responsible for the attack on CRPF convoy Feb 14, were eliminated during the encounter.
However, during the heavy exchange of fire, eleven security personnel too got injured including the leader of the team.
The injured soldiers were shifted to the Army Hospital but Maj Vibhuti and three other soldiers Sepoy Ajay Kumar, Sepoy Hari Singh, and Havildar Sheo Ram succumbed to their injuries.
“Maj Vibhuti was a valiant soldier and a fine officer who led from the front and laid down his life in the service of the nation, following the highest traditions of the
Indian Army,” the army said.