A wreath-laying ceremony was held here to pay tributes to a soldier who laid down his life fighting terrorists in a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district where an anti-terrorist operation entered the third day on Sunday, officials said. White Knight Corps Chief of staff Maj Gen P S Dagar led the solemn ceremony held at the Indian Air Force Station Jammu to honour Lance Dafadar Baldev Chand whose mortar remains were later flown to his home town in Himachal Pradesh for last rites, the officials said. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, Shridhar Patil and some civil officers also attended the ceremony and paid their tributes to the fallen soldier. “His supreme sacrifice stands as a beacon of courage and duty, inspiring future generations,” the army said in a post on X after the wreath laying ceremony while paying rich tributes to the brave heart. The soldier was injured late Friday evening when terrorists opened fire on a joint search party of the Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police at Kanji in the Seoj Dhar forest between Dudu-Basantgarh area of Udhampur and Bhaderwah in Doda district. He was shifted to a hospital where he later succumbed to injuries. A massive search operation, launched to track down and neutralise the terrorists, continued for the third day on Sunday, the officials said. They said multiple search parties equipped with latest gadgets, including drones, are combing the area with thick foliage and challenging topography. Sniffer dogs were also deployed to speed up the search operation but there was no fresh contact with the hiding terrorists so far.