CHAHAL KHURD (BATALA): Sepoy Mandeep Singh, who died repelling an infiltration bid in the remote Keran sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday morning, was cremated with full state honours in Batala on Thursday.
A pall of gloom surfaced over Kotla Sarf village in Batala as the soldier’s body arrived on Thursday afternoon.
His father Prem Singh and son Amrit Singh lit the pyre. A contingent of Army jawans from Tibberi cant gave a gun salute to Mandeep for his bravery and valour.
Mandeep’s mother Bhajan Kaur said he was recruited with 9 Sikh Li Battalion in September 2004 and his elder brother Rajinder Singh was also serving in the army as a Subedar. “Mandeep came home on leave three months ago after learning about the ill health of his father (Prem Singh), but left for duty in a few days,” Bhajan Kaur said.
She added, “We were asking him to visit home again as his father’s health was deteriorating by the day, but Mandeep kept telling us that there was continuous snowfall in his region and he couldn’t get leave due to possibility of an emergency.”
Meanwhile, Mandeep’s wife Rajwinder Kaur said he had called her on Tuesday and told her to take care of the family. “I still can’t believe it was my last talk with him,” she said, dejected.
The Sepoy is survived by his wife, three and a half year old son Amrit Singh and one year old son Gurmukh Singh.
