The last rites of BSF head constable Rai Singh, who was martyred in cross-border firing in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, were held with full state honours at his native village Kheri Sampla in Rohtak on Tuesday.
As Rai Singh’s body wrapped in tricolour was brought in a bedecked vehicle, a large number of people from the village and neighbouring areas reached Rohtak to pay their last respects. His family and villagers demanded that Pakistan must be given a befitting reply.
Wreaths were laid and the martyr was given a gun salute by the BSF, which sounded the last post. Rai Singh's eldest son lit the funeral pyre.
Haryana Government has announced `20 lakh compensation and a job for the next of kin of head constable Rai Singh.
Haryana Ministers Krishan lal Panwar and Manish Grover, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and INlD's senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala were among those who paid their last respects.
The martyr Rai Singh, 39 is survived by his aged mother, wife and three sons. Singh's wife, Sunita, who had last seen her husband three months ago when he came home, was inconsolable.
Transport Minister Krishan lal Panwar said the State Government has decided to give `20 lakh and a job to the next of kin of martyr. A park in Kheri-Sampla will also be named after Rai Singh and a statue of him would be installed at the place of his cremation, he said.
Following protests by the villagers to increase the amount of compensation, the Transport Minister later assured to take up the issue with Chief Minister Manohar lal and increase the compensation to `50 lakh.
The State Government had last month announced `50 lakh compensation each for the families of two martyrs belonging to Kurukshetra.
Notably, Rai Singh is the third soldier from Haryana to be martyred within last one month.
Rai Singh was injured in shelling from the Pakistani side on November 20 night along loC in Rajouri sector. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Nearly three weeks back, Mandeep Singh of the Army's Sikh regiment, was killed by militants in Macchil sector of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir. He hailed from Antehri in Kurukshetra district.
Barely week before Mandeep's martyrdom, BSF constable Sushil Kumar, who belonged to Pehowa in Kurukshetra district, was also martyred in Jammu district.