locals, especially the residents of Dikhol village, gathered in large numbers to pay their last respects to rifleman Sandeep Rawat of the 11th Garhwal Rifles who died in a road accident while en route to conducting a counter-insurgency operation in Arunachal Pradesh. His coffin was accompanied by a pipe band and ceremonial guard of the 20 Garhwal Rifles. He was cremated at the ghat in Koti Colony here.
Native of the Dikhol village in Chamba block, 28-year old rifleman Rawat was posted in Arunachal Pradesh with the 11th Garhwal Rifles. On Friday, he was with other soldiers on their way to complete a counter-insurgency operational task when he and four others died in the road accident. His body was brought to Delhi by air ambulance on Saturday. The coffin carrying his body was brought to New Tehri on Sunday with a somber gathering of locals reaching to pay their last respects. Subedar Manik Chand Panwar of 11th Garhwal Rifles and subedar Narendra Singh of 20th Garhwal Rifles led a pipe band and ceremonial guard of 20 jawans that accompanied Rawat’s coffin as it was taken through the roads of New Tehri town to the ghat at Koti Colony.