Amid a pall of gloom, the mortal remains of junior commissioned officer (JCO) Sukhdev Singh were cremated with full military honours at his native Peoni village in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday evening.
The JCO was killed on Tuesday morning in Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri. He is survived by his wife, and two children — a son and a daughter.
Younger brother of the deceased, Deepu, who is also in the army, said, “I had informed him that only two days of my leave are left and I will resume my duties after that. He had inquired about the well being of his children and other family members. Then, at around 1:30am, we received a phone call informing us that my brother has martyred.”
“He was a gold medallist in shooting and had fought the Pakistani troops during Kargil war,” he added.
District commissioner Dr Piyush Singla, J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, former MLAs and other prominent citizens attended the funeral.
“The JCO sacrificed his life in the line of duty in Pakistan’s ceasefire violation along the Nowshera sector in Rajouri,” said defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand.
“India retaliated to Pakistan’s unprovoked act,” he added.
“Late Monday, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation on the line of control (LoC) in Nowshera sector, Rajouri. Indian troops responded strongly to the enemy fire. In the incident, Subedar Sukhdev Singh was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries,” he said.
“Subedar Sukhdev Singh was a brave, highly motivated and a sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” added Col Anand.
