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Kaithal soldier killed in Kulgam terrorist attack cremated with military honours
His body arrived early in the morning, wrapped in a tricolour, when people from the entire village as well as the surrounding areas paid tribute to him in large numbers.
Two days after 28-year-old lance naik Narender Sindhu, a resident of Rohera village in Kaithal, was killed during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam, his body was cremated with full military honours on Wednesday.
His body arrived early in the morning, wrapped in a tricolour, when people from the entire village as well as the surrounding areas paid tribute to him in large numbers.
Apart from locals, several school students also showered flower petals on the army vehicle carrying his body as it passed from various areas of the village towards the cremation ground.
His cousin Rohtash lit the funeral pyre at the ground, where SDM Ajay Singh attended the funeral and paid tributes on behalf of the district administration.
BJP district president Jyoti Saini, Kalayat MLA Vikas Saharan, INLD state president Rampal Majra, district military and paramilitary welfare officer Colonel OP Sharma, Ex-Servicemen Association president Jagjit Singh and others were present.
Sandhu’s maternal uncle, also a former soldier, Azad Singh said that he was a brave soldier with the 3 Raj Rifle, where he was recruited in 2017.
“After this, about four years ago, he was deployed in Rashtriya Rifles at Srinagar. His birthday was on October 5, for which he was going to come home on October 2,” he said.
He further said that he was on patrolling duty with his colleagues, when at around 11 am, the terrorists suddenly opened fire and an encounter took place.
“During the encounter, Narender was shot and he was seriously injured. After this, he was taken to Srinagar hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment,” he added.
Sandhu is survived by his younger brother, living in the USA, and two elder sisters, both married, his father Dalbir Singh, a farmer and mother Roshni Devi, a homemaker.
The SDM said that the government school in the village will be named after Narendra Singh Sindhu.
“As per the orders of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, the state government will provide a government job to next of kin and financial assistance of ₹1 crore to the family. Along with this, the government school of the village will be named after the braveheart,” he added.
In another incident, a 24-year-old army man identified as Pankaj Rana, a resident of Kalayat, died in a road accident.
His body was brought to the village on Wednesday, where he was cremated with state honours and his brother Ravi lit the funeral pyre.
SDM Ajay Hooda paid tribute to the soldier on behalf of the district administration.
Ex-servicemen welfare association chief Jagjit Singh said that Pankaj was posted as naik in the Indian Army’s 51 Engineering Regiment in Srinagar’s Drass sector and had come home on leave on 10 August.
On 20 August, he was riding a bike and was injured in a road accident for which he was being treated at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir, Chandigarh, but he died during treatment on Tuesday.
He is survived by his parents, wife and his one and a half year old son.
