Wrapped in a Tricolour, the mortal remains of all six soldiers of 6 Dogra, martyred in a deadly militant strike in Chandel district of Manipur on June 4, returned home on Sunday morning when a pilot vehicle escorted all chauffeur-driven taxis fitted with black flags and ‘battle casualty’ stickers to their native villages. The local Army units had made elaborate arrangements where these soldiers were given full military honours under the blazing sun. In their villages, large number of people had assembled since early morning to pay their tributes and share the grief of their families. Before heading home on their last journey, these soldiers were given send-off by the officers of 26 Tiger Division led by their General Officer in Command (GoC) Major General Dushyant Singh in Jammu cantonment.
Air Cmde Ashutosh lal, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Jammu also laid wreath and paid rich tributes to the soldiers. Barring one sepoy Vijay Kumar, youngest of the lot and married barely 3 months ago, all others were in their late thirties and planning to settle down in their native villages after hanging their boots.
Among the six Jammu bravehearts a junior commissioner officer (JCO) Nb Sub Ram Singh of village Nandpur in Samba was the senior most. Since his unit was likely to shift base to Chandigarh he was in the process of relocating his family when he was ambushed along with 17 other soldiers in a gruesome attack. In Village Serh of Khour area in Akhnoor the close relatives and wife of 27-year-old Sepoy Vijay Kumar received his mortal remains.
Sepoy Vijay Kumar had recently joined his unit in Manipur after his marriage ceremony in late February 2015. His family was crestfallen as only months ago they had solemnised marriage of their son and today they assembled here to cremate him with full military honours. The scene in neighbouring Bomal village of Akhnoor where another soldier Havaldar Randeep Singh was cremated was no different. His wife and children were not informed by the family till his dead body arrived there.
large number of local villagers along with officials of the State police, civil authorities and personnel were present to take part in the cremation ceremony despite soaring temperature. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Social welfare and Forest Minister Bali Bhagat, BJP MP Jugal Kishore and senior police and district officers attended cremation ceremony of Havaldar Satpal Bhasin in Muthi village near Jammu.
Singh also visited family of lance Naik Kuldeep Raj in village Burn and shared their grief. Bhasin was serving the Indian army for last 18 years and had planned to take retirement after completing 20 years of service. lance Naik Kuldeep Raj of village Burn falling under Bhalwal area of Jammu was serving the Indian army for over last 14 years as driver.
He was at the wheels when the convoy of four vehicles was targeted by the militants using IED’s and other sophisticated weapons. Havaldar Sunil Kumar Sharma was cremated in Sunderbani area of Rajouri in the presence of close relatives and family friends with full military honors. Mortal remains of another solider identified as Sepoy Manjit Singh from Pathankot in Punjab were dispatched to his native village for the last rites. According to Defence PRO, lt Col Munish Mehta, the mortal remains of these seven soldiers had earlier reached Jammu via special Air Force flight late saturday evening via New Delhi.