Village mourns Subedar who took on terrorists to save his family

BAKRAH(KATHUA): He faced a group of heavily armed desperate terrorists with bare hands, took scores of bullets on his chest and arms, yet ensured that the assailants could not inflict much harm on his family.

Subedar Madal Lal Choudhary, 50, eventually fell to the AK 47 bullets fired by the terrorists, who attacked his quarter at Sunjwan Army station i n Jammu, but still foiled their plan to cause maximum damage.

A pall of gloom descended on this non-descript hamlet after the news of Madan Lal Choudhary’s death reached here.

Yet, the people of the border belt of Hiranagar in Kathua district are proud of the brave son of soil who took on armed intruders with bare hands and saved his family and kin.

Madan Lal Choudhary’s family had come to his quarter in the Military Station, Sunjwan, as they need to shop for the wedding of a relative. “He mustered a lot of courage and saved the life of other family members very tactically by not allowing the terrorists to enter his quarter,” his brother Surinder Choudhary said.

Surinder Choudhary said his brother managed save his family members from the back as he blocked the entry of terrorists.

However, Madan Lal Choudhary’s 20-year-old daughter Neha received a bullet injury in the leg while his sister-in-law Paramjeet also received minor injuries. But all of them managed to survive.

“I am proud of my younger brother who braved bullets, fought heavily armed militants with bare hands to save family members and kin. Had he failed to save them, the entire family would have been wiped out. He foiled the militants’ plan to cause maximum causalities,” Surinder Choudhary said.

Madan Lal Choudhary, who rose to the post of a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) - a Subedar - belonged to a family of defence force personnel.

His elder brother Shamsher Singh is an ex-serviceman, his son Ankush a Captain in the Indian Army, and his nephew Sandeep is in the Indian Air Force.