Thousands of residents reach Pawan’s native village Badhana to attend his funeral
HISAR: A pall of gloom descended on Badhana, the native village of Capt Pawan Kumar (23), who died fighting terrorists at Kashmir’s Pampore on Sunday, when the martyr’s mortal remains reached in the district on Monday.
HT PHOTOThe army and local residents paying tributes to Captain Pawan Kumar (right), who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir’s Pampore, at his native village Badhana in Haryana on Monday.Pawan’s funeral rites were conducted with full military honours.
With Haryana burning amid the row over Jat reservation, the army had appealed to the people to extend support for the braveheart so that his body could reach his native place without delay.
His body was brought in an army chopper. Pawan, an officer in the elite Para unit, was among other army personnel who lost their lives in the fierce encounter with militants holed up inside a government building in Pampore town of Pulwama district.
Thousands of residents reached Pawan’s native village to attend his funeral and shouted “Shaheed Pawan Kumar amar rahe” (long live martyr Pawan Kumar). Talking to HT, Rajbir Singh, the martyr’s father, said, “The army faced little problem in bringing my son’s body to Jind. Everyone who attended my son’s funeral was numb.”
“He was our only son. My wife is grieving but is proud of her son as he sacrificed his life for the country. I would like to request the youth that they should prepare themselves to do something for the country,” he said.
“The Jat protesters opened the blockade for us and they also showered flowers on his body besides shouting slogans hailing him. It was really difficult for us when we learned that our son was martyred,” Rajbir Singh added.
Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, finance minister Capt Abhimanyu and agriculture minister OP Dhankar also reached the village to attend the funeral. “We salute the brave son of Haryana and his parents,” Dhankar said.