Grief gives way to anger as wife sees Tarn Taran soldier’s headless body
Twelveyear-old Sahildeep Singh was a picture of grief and resolve as he stood saluting his father’s bravery with tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I am proud of my father. I will also join the Indian Army,” Sahildeep said between sobs as he lit the pyre of his father, naib subedar Paramjit Singh, who was killed and beheaded by Pakistani intruders along the Line of Control in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch on Monday.
The funeral of the naib subedar was attended by at least one member from every household in this village of 45,000.
Grief gave way to anger when Paramjit Singh’s wife, Paramjit Kaur, insisted that she be allowed to have one last look at her husband whose body was brought in coffin wrapped in the Tricolour. When she saw the headless body, she demanded that the Indian government give Pakistan a befitting reply for the barbaric act.
“I am proud that my husband sacrificed his life for the nation but it is very painful to see the way his body has been mutilated. There is no head,” she said, breaking down.
Sahildeep and his twin sister, Khushdeep Kaur, were in tears as their elder sibling, Simerdeep Kaur, 15, said, “My father has held our head high. He was to come on leave on May 10… I was eagerly waiting for him. I met him six months ago. I didn’t know it was the last time I would be seeing him.”
Anti-Pakistan slogans rent the air as thousands of villagers saw the cremation that was carried out with full military honours.
The body was brought to the village around noon in an Indian Army chopper. It was taken to the new house Paramjit was building. The family planned to shift there.
“I am proud that my husband sacrificed his life for the nation but it is very painful to see the way his body has been mutilated. There is no head
There was a commotion as Paramjit Kaur and her brother Ranjit Singh along with other villagers demanded that they be shown the body. Representatives of the army and civil administration convinced them to head for the cremation.
Khadoor Sahib Congress MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki, Tarn Taran Congress MLA Dharambir Agnihotri, Aam Aadmi Party leader HS Phoolka and former Akali MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura were also present.
PARAMJIT KAUR, Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh’s wife