Bollywood stars salute 'Handwara Shaheeds'; Nikita Dutta mourns loss of friend's husband

Celebrities from the film industry strongly condemned the attack on security personnel in Handwara that claimed the lives of five personnel. Madhavan, Daler Mehndi, Richa Chadha, Onir, Aftab Shivdasani and Nikita Dutta were among those who expressed their condolences to the families of the martyrs.

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Madhavan shared how the ‘Shaheeds’ kept doing their duty whatever be the situation. 

Daler Mehndi saluted the martyrs and wrote that he condemned the ‘ghastly attack’ on the heroes. The veteran singer termed it as a ‘very bad day’ for India. 

Richa Chadha was heart-broken and hoped for the end to the ‘madness.’

READ: Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba Terrorist Killed In Handwara Encounter

Onir expressed ‘gratitude and respect’ to the martyrs, and termed it ‘very very sad.’

Aftab Shivdasani prayed for the souls of the ‘true warriors who protect the nation’, while expressing strength with the bereaved families.

Kabir Singh actor Nikita Dutta was speechless after hearing the incident and also said that Major Anuj Sood was her friend’s husband. She termed it ‘devastating’ and used the hashtag '#RIP bravhearts.’

The incident

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Major Anuj Sood, Police Sub-Inspector Shakeel Qazi, a Lance Naik and one Rifleman sacrificed their lives in the encounter with terrorists at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara on Sunday. The personnel were performing an operation to evacuate the civilians when the attack took place. Two terrorists were killed in the encounter.  

The Army released the following statement on the encounter:

In the same operation, an Army Colonel and a Major were among five security personnel martyred in an encounter with terrorists at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara area on Sunday. Issuing an official statement on Sunday, Indian Army said that they were martyred in an encounter with terrorists at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara area. The statement said that based on the intelligence input that terrorists had taken civilian as a hostage in a house in Changimul, Handwara of Kupwara district, a joint operation was launched by Army and JK Police.

READ: Army Issues Statement As 5 Bravehearts Are Martyred In Handwara

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