The mother of martyr Hawaldar Madan Lal Sharma lends a shoulder to his coffin. Tribune photo

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gharota (Pathankot), September 22Dharmo Devi (82), mother of martyr Havildar Madan Lal Sharma (40), who was killed in a gun battle with militants in the Kashmir valley on Tuesday, stunned everybody present by walking 3 km while lending her shoulder to the coffin in which the body of her son lay.The soldier’s mortal remains were brought to the family house in the village on Thursday morning by the jawans of the 2nd Dogra Regiment. Earlier, it was flown in to the Pathankot IAF base from Kashmir.The moment the body was placed in the house for people to pay their last respects, the soldier’s mother made it clear that out of the four persons who would carry the body to the cremation ground she would be one. She was dissuaded from doing so by senior army officers who told her that keeping in view her age and the long distance to be travelled it would not be feasible for her to lend a shoulder. However, she was adamant and told the officers if that was the case the body would not leave the house.On the entire course, she kept on saying that the country needed more soldiers like her son who could rise to the occasion to defend the nation.More than a thousand people had gathered to pay last respects to the soldier.