Mansi, the Labrador, received an enemy bullet, something which was enough to provoke her handler who started firing relentlessly at the infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir
When it came to making the supreme sacrifice, Mansi did not wince even once and laid down her life in the line of duty while preventing an infiltration bid in Tangdhar sector of north Jammu and Kashmir.
Mansi, a four-year-old Labrador, and her handler Bashir Ahmed War of the Territorial Army were gunned down by infiltrating terrorists from across the border in Tangdhar, about 150 km from Srinagar.
According to the reports, the canine and War, a resident of Kupwara, were posted in the dense forests where terrorists from the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir made an infiltration bid on the intervening Saturday-Sunday night.
A part of the army's tracker dog unit, Mansi sensed some movement and started pulling War towards an area where clouds were low.
As Mansi started barking at the intruders, she received an enemy bullet, something which was enough to provoke her handler who started firing relentlessly at the intruders besides calling for reinforcement.
War wanted to avenge the death of his canine friend whose care he had been taking since she joined the army's tracker unit.
Death could not part them as even War fell to the enemy bullets but not before reinforcements had arrived and an operation mounted to kill the infiltrators.
"When a dog is injured on the battlefield, the army jumps into action in much the same way as it would do in case of an injured soldier. Here we had two causalities -- the handler as well as the dog," said a senior army official.
War's body was brought to the army cantonment in Srinagar where Lt Gen Subrata Saha, General Officer in Command of 15 Corps, laid a wreath before it was taken to his native village in Kupwara for last rites with full military honours. Gen Saha lauded the exemplary courage shown by War and Mansi.
Mansi's body was recovered and taken. After necessary documentation, which included a port-mortem, wreath was laid on her body. The mortal remains of the valiant friend of the army were laid to rest at her unit lines at Trehgam in north Kashmir.
Mansi and War had a successful season this year with three kills to their credit. They were involved in the killing of a terrorist at Kaisuri ridge in Tangdhar area on May 25, followed by gunning down of two militants on July 21.
This Reuters photograph is used for representation purpose
