Indian Army personnel stood alongside villagers in Murrah village of Surankote as they helped conduct the last rites of Fazal Hussain Tahir Choudhary, a key civilian figure associated with Operation Sarp Vinash, marking a quiet but meaningful farewell to a man remembered for his role during difficult years of militancy in the region.
Troops from a Rashtriya Rifles battalion under the Headquarters Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo) assisted the bereaved family by arranging logistics, security and facilities for mourners who gathered late into the night on Wednesday.
Tahir Choudhary, 62, passed away on April 22 in Uttarakhand after illness. His mortal remains were brought by road to his native village, where residents from Murrah, Kulali and nearby areas assembled to pay their respects.
Known locally as the “Hero of Hill Kaka,” Tahir had played an important role during Operation Sarp Vinash in 2003 — one of the major anti-terror operations carried out in the dense forests and mountainous terrain of Poonch district.
Officials said his support to security forces and deep knowledge of the terrain proved valuable during counter-insurgency operations in the Hill Kaka and Surankote areas. He was also associated with the formation of the first Village Defence Committee in the region, encouraging local participation in maintaining security at a time when militancy deeply affected daily life.
Army officers present during the funeral acknowledged the cooperation extended by local residents, particularly members of the Gujjar-Bakarwal community, in restoring stability in the area.
Soldiers helped shoulder the mortal remains and ensured arrangements for villagers who continued to arrive through the night — a gesture residents described as a mark of respect for a civilian who had stood with the forces during challenging times.
For many in the region, Tahir Choudhary’s legacy lies not only in bravery but in the trust built between local communities and security forces. As prayers concluded and the crowd slowly dispersed, villagers said the valley had lost one of its quiet guardians — a man whose courage is still remembered in the hills of Poonch.
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