DOMANA: The mortal remains of the six soldiers of 6 Dogra infantry Battalion hailing from Jammu, who were killed in an insurgent attack in Manipur, were consigned to flames on Sunday with full military and state honours at their native villages near here. An Indian Air Force plane brought the mortal remains of the martyred soldiers to Jammu from where they were sent to their native villages by road for last rites.
The mortal remains of the six martyred soldiers were cremated with full military honours and gun salute at their ancestral places in Samba, Akhnoor, Muthi, Akhnoor, Burn and Rajouri areas on Sunday.
The 10-year-old son of martyr Havaldar Satpaul Bashin lit the pyre of his father today amid gun salute and full military honours as his family members bid final adieu from their home in Muthi hamlet in the outskirts here.
“I am proud of my martyred son. They fought till the end with the militants. I have no regrets. I salute him. I want my another son to be a commissioned officer in Army and serve the nation,” Satpaul’s father and former army man Bishan Dass said.
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and the MLA of the area Bali Bhagat were also present at the cremation.
“It is shock to all of us the way they were attacked in the ambush and lost lives. We express condolences to all of their near and dear ones,” Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh told reporters at the cremation ground.
“But we are confident that our soldiers are defeating the designs by the militants and terrorists, who are trying to create a environment of fear,” he said.
Dass said that government will take all measures to ensure full support and monetary assistance to the families.
A similar scene was witnessed in Burn-Gharota village where Lance Naik Kuldeep Raj was cremated amid emotional adieu. He is survived by his mother, wife, daughter and sister.
Two years old Shagun Raj is too young to comprehend what tragedy has befallen on the family as her father Lance Naik Kuldeep Raj, the sole bread winner in the family was one amongst the 18 soldiers who attained martyrdom in the militant ambush in Manipur on Thursday.
“I am proud wife of a martyr. He has given me such an honour. I will miss him as he was inspiration of my life,” wife Gaytri Devi said.
A pall of gloom descended in the village as soon as the mortal remains of the martyred soldier draped in Tri-colour reached his village.
Amid full military honours, Havaldar Randeep Singh and Sepoy Vijay Kumar were cremated at their ancestral villages of Bomal and Serh-Kharah in Akhnoor on Sunday.
In Samba district, Naib Subedar Ram Singh was cremated with full military honours at his ancestral village Swankha- Morh in Vijaypur and Havalder Sunil Kumar Sharma at village Phal in Sunderbani belt of Rajouri district.
Both the martyrs are survived by their wives and two children.
In the worst such attack in two decades, insurgents had ambushed a military convoy in Manipur’s Chandel district killing at least 18 army personnel and injuring 11 others.
Congress also expressed condolence to the families of the martyr soldiers.
“We condemn the cowardly attack on armymen. We express condolence to the families of the martyr soldiers who laid down their life while fighting militants in Manipur,” senior vice-President of state Congress, Sham Lal Sharma said today.