A 27-year-old Army rifleman from Buttar Bakhua village in the Gidderbaha Assembly segment in Muktsar district reportedly lost his life while on duty in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday night. The deceased Sukhpreet Singh was scheduled to get married in November this year.

Talking to The Tribune, the soldier's uncle, Gurdish Singh, said he received a phone call from a subedar around 6:30 am today informing him about the incident.

"The Subedar told us that Sukhpreet lost his life after a boulder hit him and he slipped while on duty last night. He also informed us that three other personnel were injured in the incident. We are yet to go there, but the Subedar has been in regular contact with us," Gurdish Singh said.

Sukhpreet joined the Indian Army in 2019 after completing Class XII. He was engaged to a woman from a neighbouring village and was scheduled to marry her in November.

"Sukhpreet was the first from our family to join the Army. He developed an interest in joining the Army after completing Class XII. He had last come to the village about three months ago," said Gurdish.

Belonging to a farming family, Sukhpreet is survived by his parents and a younger sister, who is pursuing her studies in Canada.

The family said Sukhpreet's body is yet to arrive, and the last rites would be performed on Friday, as his younger sister is expected to arrive in India on Thursday.

Residents of Buttar Bakhua village remembered Sukhpreet as a humble and respectful young man. "He was a very good boy and always greeted everyone in the village with respect. His untimely death is a huge loss for the entire village," said Harbans Singh, a village resident.