4 fallen soldiers from Punjab, 1 from HP

CHANDIGARH: Four soldiers from Punjab and one from Himachal Pradesh were among the 20 killed in the face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night.

The four fallen soldiers from Punjab included Naib Subedars Mandeep Singh, 39 and Satnam Singh 41, and sepoys Gurbinder Singh, 22, and Gurtej Singh, 23, according to the list of names released by the army on Wednesday. Mandeep, who hailed from Seel village of Patiala district, was the lone breadwinner of the family. A gunner instructor with a medium artillery regiment, he had joined duty only 20 days ago after two months of leave.

Satnam, a resident of Bhojraj village of Gurdaspur district’s Dhaliwal block, last spoke to his family on Sunday, a few hours before the deadly conflict. He had joined the army in 1995 after clearing his senior secondary exam and wanted to send his two children abroad for higher education.

A sepoy in army’s 3 Punjab Battalion, Gurtej’s death shattered his family. His elder brother had married the day he lost his life. The young soldier from Birewala Dogran village in Mansa district had missed the wedding function but had promised to throw a party for the newlywed couple.

Gurbinder, who belonged to Tolawal village near Sunam and joined the army in 2018, had got engaged recently. A third-generation soldier, sepoy Ankush Thakur (21), who belonged to Karohta village in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, was also killed in the clash.

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CAPT ANNOUNCES JOB, RELIEF FOR KIN

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh announced compensation and a job to the next of kin of each of the four soldiers from the state. The families of Mandeep and Satnam will be give a relief of Rs 12 lakh each on account of their marital status whereas the families of the two unmarried soldiers, Gurtej and Gurbinder, will be given Rs 10 lakh each as compensation. Himachal CM Jairam Thakur also expressed grief over the demise of Ankush Thakur.