Major was cordial and down to earth: Family
MUMBAI: “My nephew was cordial and good in studies. He would hit it off with strangers, without having any airs about his position in the Army,” recollected Pratap Rane, uncle of Army Major Kaustubh Prakashkumar Rane, 29, who was killed while foiling an infiltration bid in Gurez of north Kashmir on Monday night. Major Rane would call at least once a week and talk to his parents and wife, despite poor connectivity at Gurez, said his uncle.
A pall of gloom descended Sheetal Nagar in Mira Road on Tuesday when residents learnt about the martyrdom of their braveheart. His body will arrive here on Wednesday morning, and the final rites will take place in the evening.
Rane and three soldiers killed two of the eight terrorists, while the rest managed to sneak to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir across the Line of Control (LOC). Rane, from the Garhwal Rifles, was leading the charge against the terrorists. He was awarded with the Sena Medal (Gallantry) by President Ram Nath Kovind on the 69th Republic Day. Rane is survived by his parents, wife and two-and-a-half-year-old son.
Native of Vaibhavwadi in Sindhudurg district, his family has been living on the first floor of the Hiral Sagar building at Sheetal Nagar for the past thirty years. The Major was the only son of his parents.
Rane’s father Prakashkumar retired from a private firm, while mother, Jyoti, used to teach at a private school. The major’s wife, Kanika, and son were on their way to Mira Road from Vaibhavwadi.
After completing his training from Chennai, he was first posted in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir in 2011. He was elevated to major’s position during his stint in the hostile terrains of Ladakh in January this year.
He had studied at Holy Cross School in Sheetal Nagar and completed his BCA from Shailendra College, Dahisar.
“We are coordinating with the Garhwal Rifles to get my nephew’s body,” said Major’s uncle Pratap.