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Slain havildar Neelam Singh cremated with state honours in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor
While army officers and soldiers paid their last respects, buglers sounded the last post; a sea of people turned up to bid adieu to the braveheart at the family home in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor
The mortal remains of Havaldar Neelam Singh Chib of 9 Para (Special Forces) were consigned to flames with full military honours amid patriotic sloganeering near his native village Chak Kirpalpur in Akhnoor area of Jammu district on Saturday.
Neelam Singh’s younger brother Angad Singh lit the pyre of his elder brother as a sea of people turned up to bid adieu to the braveRheart.
While army officers and soldiers paid their last respects, buglers sounded the last post.
Earlier, wrapped in a Tricolour the coffin containing mortal remains of the paratrooper reached his native village in an army truck with a swarm of people escorting it on vehicles, bikes and hundreds walked along the slowly moving vehicle.
Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at the house of the martyr where his 10-year-old daughter Pawana Chib wept inconsolably. “Why are you not getting up? I don’t want anything, papa. Please come back,” she was heard amid cries as she stretched out her hand to touch the face of her father.
The paratrooper’s wife, Vandana Chib, his seven-year-old son Ankit, his brother Angad Singh besides other family members, relatives and friends also wept inconsolably.
Member of parliament Jugal Kishore also attended the funeral of the deceased soldier and said the perpetrators of the attack will be taken to task by the security forces
Neelam Singh was among five soldiers who were killed in an IED explosion triggered by the terrorists in Kandi forests of Rajouri.
Defence minister visited 25 Infantry Division headquarters
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday took stock of the operational preparedness of the Indian Army and the security situation along the Line of Control during his visit to the headquarters of 25 Infantry Division in Rajouri.
Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, chief of the army staff General Manoj Pande and general officer commanding-in-chief, Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi were present during the review meeting.
Singh interacted with the soldiers and commended their valour and zeal while operating in challenging situations.
He asserted that the nation feels secure because of the unmatched courage, commitment and constant vigil, adding, “I pay homage to these brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in service to the nation. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
He was also briefed about the ongoing operations at the headquarters of 25 Infantry Division.
