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Tears and tributes in Himachal's Barnog as Army's JCO Rakesh Kumar comes home for final farewell
Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of the Indian Army's 2 Para was killed in action during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Sunday.
A pall of gloom descended upon Barnog village in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday as the mortal remains of Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar arrived for his last rites.
Amid slogans of Jai Hind and the cries of his loved ones, his family and villagers, who had gathered in large numbers, paid tribute to him.
Rakesh Kumar had dreams of rebuilding his monsoon-damaged house in the village. He was killed in action during a gunfight with terrorists in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
“Our ten-room house was damaged during the monsoon last year, and we were living in a rented house. Rakesh, who had come on leave one-and-a-half months ago, had promised to start the construction of the new house in January,” PTI quoted Kumar's brother Karam Singh as saying.
Rakesh Kumar is survived by his wife, Bhanupriya, their children – daughter Yashshwini (13) and son Pranav (7) – and his 90-year-old mother, Bhati Devi.
His mortal remains were brought on Monday afternoon by a special Army helicopter, which landed at Kangni helipad. From there, it was taken to Ner Chowk Medical College, and transported to his native village Tuesday morning.
Rakesh Kumar of the Army’s 2 Para was killed, and three other soldiers were injured after the army engaged a group of terrorists responsible for the kidnapping and killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) on Thursday.
The killings triggered a massive combing operation by security forces in the Kuntwara and Keshwan areas of Jammu. Special forces commandos were on the trail of the terrorists, who are believed to number three to four.
During the intense search, Kashmir Tigers, a faction of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), claimed responsibility for abducting and killing the Village Defence Guards.
In separate attacks in Jammu this year, 16 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three VDGs have been killed. Security forces have also neutralised 13 terrorists in the region.
Meanwhile, in Kashmir, nine personnel and 15 civilians have lost their lives in terror attacks, while 24 terrorists have been killed by security forces.
