Gurgaon: He died a hero, say residents of fallen army captain’s village

While the children and youth remembered him for exhorting them to focus on their studies and consider joining the armed forces, the village elders said that he never got into a fight with anyone and was loved by all

Kapil Kundu had been promoted to the rank of captain on January 26, Republic Day, and transferred to Rajouri from Poonch on the same day. Eight days later, on Sunday, he fell to Pakistani shelling.

Captain Kapil Kundu's sister mourns while paying tribute to her brother after his mortal remains were brought at AFS Palam in New Delhi on Monday. Captain Kundu was among the four jawans killed in shelling by Pakistan in Kashmir’s Rajouri district. (PTI Photo)

For residents of Ransika in Pataudi, his native village located around 33km from Gurgaon, Kundu had been a source of inspiration. He was the first from his village to become an army officer and on the day he came back home in a coffin, locals gathered outside his residence to pay their condolences.

“While there people in our village who were drafted into the army, he was the only one who went on to become an officer. He scaled new heights and was an inspiration for our children,” Tarif Kundu, a resident of the village, said.

Even as a pall of gloom descended on the village as word of his death filtered in, children and youths said he died a hero and recalled the days when he was home on leave.

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Some village boys recalled the days when he spoke passionately about the army. Rohit Singh, a village youth, said, “Whenever he was in the village, he would speak glowingly on the Indian Army. He exhorted us to stay focussed on our studies and contribute to the betterment of the country. He also wanted us to consider joining the army.”

The village elders remembered Kapil as a brave son of the soil whom they took a lot of pride in and said he was loved by all.

“During school holidays, he was the only child in the village who stayed home and cultivated a reading habit, while others played on the streets. He was well mannered and never got into a fight with anyone,” Sundu Ram, an elderly neighbour, said.