PUNE: Lance Naik
Yogesh Murlidhar Bhadane (28) was killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistan troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir's Rajouri district, a senior army official from Srinagar told TOI on Saturday.
The soldier was from
Khalane village of
Dhule district in
Maharashtra. He was the sole breadwinner of his family.
The officer said, "On Saturday, Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked firing on Indian posts from across the border in
Sunderbani sector.
In the firing, the soldier suffered severe bullet injuries and later succumbed to them. His mortal remains will be brought to Delhi and will be taken to his native place from there by Monday."
Bhadane is survived by his wife and parents. The village sarpanch, Ankush Wagh-Patil, told TOI over phone on Saturday, "Yogesh was the sole bread winner of his family. He got married last year. The family has an acre of land. His father still works as a labourer in the village."
The sarpanch said Yogesh had completed his education till Class XII and joined the Indian Army in 2009. "As many as 13 youths from the village are serving in paramilitary forces and Indian Army. This is the first occasion a village's youth has been killed on the border," he said. The sarpanch said Yogesh was a jovial and simple person.
"During his leave, he interacted with the village's youths and inspired them to take up career in the armed forces. He was also actively involved in the village's welfare activities. It's a huge loss for us," Wagh-Patil added.