‘Show us the body once...bring heads of 10 Pak soldiers’

NAIB SUBEDAR PARAMJEET SINGH CREMATED

NAIB SUBEDAR Paramjeet Singh, who was killed in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, was cremated with full military honours at his native Vainpoin village here on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old, who belonged to the Army’s 22 Sikh Infantry, was beheaded on Monday by Pakistani troops.

A large number of mourners from Singh’s village and surrounding areas, besides his family and friends, paid their last respects to him.

The last rites were held up for some time as the family insisted on seeing his face. They relented only after some persuasion by civil and military officials.

The coffin carrying the body reached the village around 11.30 am in an Army helicopter and was first taken to a new house constructed by Singh in the village. The family is yet to move into the house because some construction work is pending. Singh, according to relatives, had planned to complete the work during his scheduled visit home in the second week of May.

Thefamilywantedhisbodybe broughttothenewhousefirstbefore being taken to the cremation ground.thecoffinwaskeptatthe new house for a few minutes. As Army personnel started carrying the coffin towards cremation ground, Singh’s wife Paramjit Kaur insisted on seeing his face once.“whyshouldwebelievethis body is of Paramjit Singh. At least show the body to us,” she said. “Wewillnotcrematethebodyifit is mutilated. The Narendra Modi government had promised it would bring 10 heads of Pakistani soldiers for each Indian soldier killed. We will allow cremation only after they bring 10 heads of Pakistani soldiers.”

As other relatives joined in, administration officials convinced them to proceed towards the cremation ground.

“We are proud of our son. It is a failure of the government that such attacks take place again and again from Pakistan. Pakistan shouldbetaughtalesson,”singh’s father Udham Singh said.

Rana Simranjit Singh Family members of Paramjeet on Tuesday.