The mortal remains of army jawan Mandeep Singh were consigned to flames with full army and state honours at his native village Antehri of Kurukshetra district on Sunday morning.
Mandeep was martyred near the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district. He was a sepoy in the 17th Sikh regiment.
Thousands of youths from the region, chanting “Pakistan murdabad” and “Mandeep amar rahen” slogans, were present when the 28-year-old martyr’s remains reached the village. The remains were brought to Antehri from Ambala.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Sumedha Kataria and army officials joined the funeral procession.
The cremation was conducted in a piece of agricultural land owned by the martyr’s family. Right next to the land stood a newly-constructed house —Mandeep was planning to shift into it this Diwali.
{{/usCountry}}The cremation was conducted in a piece of agricultural land owned by the martyr’s family. Right next to the land stood a newly-constructed house —Mandeep was planning to shift into it this Diwali.
{{/usCountry}}Mandeep’s father Phool Singh lit the funeral pyre amid slogans as Mandeep’s wife Prerna saluted her husband’s pyre.
Residents of Antehri village, which is well-known for sending many youths to the army, decided to not celebrate Diwali as a mark of respect to the martyr.
Khattar urged the people of the village to lit a ‘diya’ (earthen lamp) at every house for the martyrs of the country.
Mandeep married Prerna, a head constable in the Haryana Police, in 2014. His father is a truck driver and his elder brother Sandeep is unemployed and takes care of agriculture land.
Khattar described Mandeep’s killing as a “cowardly act” and consoled the family members. The chief minister also said that financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh will be given to the family of martyr.
‘Want action against Pak’
Mandeep’s family members are demanding decisive action against Pakistan. They also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a final call to save the lives of soldiers.