Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 29 (ANI): Following the news of the demise of head constable Jagbir Singh reaching his home village of Akhnoor, a wave of shock and mourning engulfed his family, with his family deep in shock over the news.

Several members of the village community attended the head constable's funeral and paid tribute to the soldier's sacrifice. Visuals from the village showed multiple people shouting slogans to remember the soldier's sacrifice.

'The whole village is in shock that we lost a good soldier today. He was really good, focused on his own life, and kept to himself. He was really good; he did his duty and went about without talking much,' said one the members of the village.

Demanding a 'befitting reply' to terrorists and Pakistan, the village member added, 'For Pakistan, we are only saying that there should be an investigation, and a befitting reply should be given by the Indian army. They should not be spared. All the places where these people (terrorists) are, they should be given a reply. Till how long will we tolerate this?'

Four Jammu and Kashmir police personnel, Head Constable Jagbir Singh, Selection Grade Constable (SGCT) Balvinder Singh, SGCT Jaswant Singh, and SGCT Tariq Ahmed, lost their lives in the encounter in Kathua, while two terrorists were gunned down.

Earlier today, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah laid a wreath and paid tribute to Head Constable Jagbir Singh.

On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat laid a wreath and paid tribute to police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the Kathua anti-terrorist operation.

The operation began on March 23, when locals reported the sighting of suspected Pakistani infiltrators in Sanyal.

Security forces, including the J-K Police, Army, BSF, and CRPF, launched a search operation, leading to an initial exchange of fire.

Speaking to ANI, DGP Prabhat said, 'A couple informed of a sighting of Pakistanis in Sanyal on 23rd March evening, and immediately, a group of officers reached the spot. They had an encounter with the Pakistanis, and the latter escaped, leaving behind 4 magazines, 3 IEDs, and 2 grenades. The entire area was put to a halt by different forces - BSF, Army, and CRPF till this incident went on. This operation went on for 4 days.' (ANI)