English
New Delhi: With a stoic look on his face, little Kabir- dressed in Army fatigues– saluted his father one last time with a resolute “Jai Hind Papa”, the heart-rending scenes brought tears to the eyes of those gathered at his home in Punjab’s Mohali to pay last respects to his father Colonel Manpreet Singh who was martyred in a gunfight with terrorists in Kashmir valley.
A sea of mourners thronged the house of Colonel Singh in Bharaunjian village of Mohali district since early Friday morning, joining his inconsolable wife Jagmeet Kaur, mother and his two little kids– 6-year-old Kabir and 2.5-year-old Vaani, among other family members as the braveheart was laid to rest with full military honours.
VIDEO | 6-year-old Kabir, the son of Colonel Manpreet Singh who sacrificed his life during the Anantnag encounter, salutes before the mortal remains of his father in Haryana's Panchkula.
Colonel Manpreet Singh's mortal remains are being laid to rest in Mohali's Mullanpur. pic.twitter.com/x0p0k9tfrJ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 15, 2023
An Army officer was seen holding Kabir as the family and others paid their last respects while a relative held on to Vaani.
#WATCH | Jagmeet Kaur, wife of Col Manpreet Singh, folds her hands as she bids him a final goodbye. Visuals from his native village Mullanpur Garibdass in Mohali, Punjab.
Col Singh lost his life in the line of duty while fighting terrorists in J&K's Anantnag. pic.twitter.com/apOVThZKal
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2023
Little Kabir was later seen clinging to the tricolour-wrapped coffin of his father along with other family members. He bowed before his father’s body just before cremation as “Bharat Mata ke Sapoot Ki Jai” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” slogans filled the air.
The cremation took place with full military honours, including a wreath laying ceremony and a gun salute.
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, former Army chief V P Malik and Punjab ministers Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Anmol Gagan Maan as well as senior Army and police officers were present at Bharaunjian and laid wreaths. Lt Gen D P Vats (retd), a BJP leader, was also present.
#WATCH | Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit lays a wreath on the mortal remains of Col Manpreet Singh and pays tribute to him. Col Singh lost his life in the line of duty while fighting terrorists in J&K's Anantnag.
Visuals from Col Singh's native village Mullanpur Garibdass in… pic.twitter.com/EteJfeKSIT
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2023
Purohit and Anmol Maan were seen consoling the family members of Colonel Singh.
In the morning, Colonel Singh’s mother was seen wailing as she waited at the doorsteps for her son’s mortal remains. A third-generation soldier, Singh’s father who died nine years ago, was an ex-serviceman.
Some of the school teachers of Colonel Singh also turned up at the funeral. “He was a gem for us. He was a gem for the nation,” said a teary-eyed teacher, adding, “He had said he would come in December”.
Asha Chadha, a teacher of Colonel Singh in Class 1, described him as an extraordinary student. “We are very sad today but at the same time proud that we are teachers of a martyr who sacrificed his life for the nation.”
The Army officer, a Sena medal awardee, leaves behind two children, wife Jagmeet Kaur, a government school teacher in Haryana’s Panchkula district, mother Manjeet Kaur and brother Sandeep.
Colonel Singh did his schooling from Mullanpur before graduating in commerce stream from a college in Chandigarh. He later cleared the Combined Defence Services examination and joined the Indian Military Academy.
Major Ashish Dhonchak, who died fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, were consigned to the flames on Friday in Haryana’s Panipat with full military honours.
Three Army personnel, including the colonel and the major, and a deputy superintendent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed in the gunfight with terrorists in the higher reaches of the Kokernag area of Anantnag district of south Kashmir on Wednesday.
(With PTI inputs)
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