Soldier injured in Uri combing operation dies

RASHTRIYA RIFLES gunner Pitabas Majhi, posted in Uri, was supposed to come home on leave on Sunday.

On September 22 evening, he had called up to tell his wife Bedamati in Danajhola village of Odisha’s Nuapara district about his trip home. The young gunner married since 2013 was expectinghisfirstchildinamonth’stime and was eager to meet his wife. “He seemed so happy and told his wife that his leave application has been approved,” said his uncle Bhuban Singh Majhi.

On Sunday, the body of the 30-year soldier arrived home in a casket draped in Tricolour.

Shortly after he spoke to his wife, Majhi, who joined the counter-insurgency unit 34 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in 2008, went on a combing operation in Uri and was injured in gunfire.

On September 23, Majhi’s familymemberstriedspeakingto him, but his phone was unreachable. “We got anxious but we had no other way to contact him. We heard unconfirmed news that he was injured. My daughter-in-law stopped eating,” said Majhi’s father Rudra Singh Majhi.

On Saturday evening, a team from Komna police station reached their home to convey that Majhi had died of his injuries at the Army hospital in Srinagar.

Ashisbodyarrivedindanajhla from Raipur, villagers lined up both sides of the road to have a glimpse.hewaslatercrematedin his own paddyfield as per local tribal customs. “He was the first Army recruit from our village. We will miss him,” said his schoolmate Akshay Panigrahi.

PITABAS MAJHI