Captured soldier’s grandmother dies

MUMBAI: Lilabai Patil, grandmother of Chandu Chavan from Dhule, died on Friday after hearing that the 22-year-old Indian Army soldier is in the custody of Pakistani

MUMBAI: Lilabai Patil, grandmother of Chandu Chavan from Dhule, died on Friday after hearing that the 22-year-old Indian Army soldier is in the custody of Pakistani army for straying across the Line of Control (LOC) after Wednesday’s surgical strikes, according to reports on Marathi news channel IBN Lokmat.

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Chavan, who hails from Borvihir village, had joined the Army in 2012. He was deployed with the Rashtriya Rifles battalion 36 and was posted at Poonch on the India-Pakistan border. Another report in Sakal Times said Patil died of cardiac arrest after she heard news of his capture.

IBN Lokmat reported that Patil had raised Chavan, after his parents’ death. Chavan has two siblings. The report states Chavan’s brother Bhushan, too, is an Armyman, and is posted in Jamnagar. His sister is married. All three siblings were brought up by their grandparents.

Sakal Times reported Chavan’s grandfather was an education officer.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was in New Delhi on Friday, spoke to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, urging the ministry to initiate the procedure to get the soldier back. Union minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Ahir said, “The ministry of external affairs has initiated the process to bring Chavan back after he crossed the border by mistake.”