State paid rich tributes to martyr Shashikant Pathak, who sacrificed his life in a militant attack at Pampore in Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday. The body of the jawan reached here on Sunday at 8:45 pm at Birsa Munda Airport by Ranchi bound Indigo flight which will be taken to his hometown Jharia on Monday after giving guard of honour at the Namkom Army Camp in Ranchi.
“last rites of martyr will be performed on Monday at Mohalbani Ghat in Jharia. An Ambulance has already been sent to Ranchi to carry the last remains of Pandey to his hometown,” said Dhanbad DC A Dodde. All preparations have already been completed in this regard, said the DC.
Pandey 24, along with two other soldiers — Gunner Naik Ratheesh C, 35 and Gunner Farate Sourabh Nandkumar, 33, was killed after an army convoy was attacked by terrorists in Pampore on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on Saturday. Reports said that at least two more soldiers were injured in the attack that took place around 20 km from Srinagar. The group of terrorists came on a motorcycle and fired indiscriminately at the convoy.
Pandey, hailing from Jorapokhar in Jharia is survived by his parents and a brother and two sisters. His elder brother Srikant Pandey is also CRPF jawan who is presently posted in Pradhan Khanta.
Srikant has also received a President’s award for his bravery while he was posted at Jamui in Bihar. He had gunned down three Maoists during an encounter during which Deputy Commandant Heera Jha got killed.
For Shashikant, his elder brother was a real hero who had been given award by President Pranav Mukherjee for killing three Maoists.
Incidentally, Pandey got martyred on the same day when he had joined Army on December 17, 2013. He had returned to his work five days back after spending some time at his home during vacations.
The terrorists attacked on them while they were travelling in bus though Kadlabal in Pampore. The terrorist started firing indiscriminately from AK-47 in which Shashikant also received bullets and got killed. He was a jawan from Rashtriya Rifles Battalion. His family members were informed in the evening.
The martyr had completed his elementary education from Jiyalgora Government School after which he went to DAV High School in Patherdih and completed Matric from there. Shshikant after competing Inter from RSP College in Dhanbad, joined Army in the year 2013. He was still unmarried. As soon as the news spread about his martyrdom, hundreds of people gathered before his house in Jharia and shouted slogans ‘Shashikant Amar Rahe’ (long live Shashikant).