E-Paper
Handwara martyr Major Anuj Sood cremated in Chandigarh
Major Sood was one of the five personnel killed in action during an encounter with militants in Handwara area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday night.
The mortal remains of Major Anuj Sood, who was killed in an anti-terror operation in North Kashmir, were consigned to flames with full military honours at the Manimajra cremation ground on Tuesday.
He was one of the five personnel killed in action during an encounter with militants in Handwara area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday night.
Sood’s mortal remains, wrapped in tricolour, had arrived in Chandigarh on Monday evening. They were taken to the cremation ground from his residence in Amravati Enclave in Panchkula on Tuesday.
In wake of the coronavirus pandemic, only a limited number of senior army officers and Major Sood’s family members, including his wife Aakriti, father Brigadier Chandrakant Sood (retd), sister Harshita, who is also an army officer, mother, in-laws and some close relatives were present during the cremation.
The officer was given a gun salute and his pyre was lit by his father.
Lt Gen GS Sangha, chief of staff, western command, paid him tribute on behalf of the army.
Haryana assembly speaker and Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta, deputy commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja and commissioner of police Saurabh Singh also paid their respects.
Sood’s father said he was a true son of the nation.
“He has made a supreme sacrifice for saving lives of others and that’s what he was trained for. I feel sad for his wife as he had to move for operations after just three-four months of his marriage in 2017,” his father said.
He said Sood only had one dream, which was to join the Army.
According to his family, the officer was scheduled to return home after a gap of six months as he had completed his operational tenure in the valley.
He was about to get a new posting, but due to lockdown, he had to continue with his tenure there.
