Farewells and gun salutes across states as more martyrs cremated

Tear-laden farewells and patriotic sentiments were witnessed yet again in many parts of the country – from Punjab to Bihar and Odisha to Jharkhand — on Friday, as a few of the soldiers who lost their lives in Galwan Valley on Monday night were cremated in their villages. Punjab saw two of its young jawans given a tearful farewell on Friday. In Birewala village of Mansa district, mortal remains of Sepoy Gurtej Singh, youngest of three siblings in the family, were consigned to flames.
Family members of Gurtej Singh put a ‘sehra’ on the casket. They even put a garland around his neck, the one that grooms wear, before consigning his mortal remains to flames at Birewala. Patriotic sentiments ran high in Tolewal in Sangrur as the mortal remains of martyr Gurbinder Singh were consigned to flames with full military and state honours.
journey.
Bodies of the four soldiers – Chandan Kumar from Bhojpur, Jai Kishore Singh from Vaishali, Aman Kumar from Samastipur and Kundan Kumar from Saharsa – were brought to Patna airport on Thursday along with the body Kundan Kumar Ojha from Sahebganj in Jhakhand. Chants of ‘Long live Naib Subedar Nandu Ram Soren’ rent the air in Badachampauda village of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha on Friday as jawans from the 16 Bihar Regiment and Odisha Police reversed their arms and fired shots in the air. Sepoy Chandrakant Pradhan was laid to rest at his native place, Beorapanga in Kandhamal district on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Sahibgunj district of Jharkhand, the last rites of Kundan Ojha were performed by his brother. While Kundan’s coffin was on its last journey, his widow Neha Devi broke down several times. The couple have a 20-day old daughter.