Family had his marriage on mind, soldier dies in Galwan Valley

At least 20 Army personnel were killed in the clash, according to the Indian authorities. Relatives of Naib Subedar Satnam Singh (42), who belonged to Punjab's Gurdaspur and was one of the four soldiers from Punjab, say they are proud of his sacrifice.

The family of Sepoy Gurbinder Singh (22) killed in a clash with the Chinese army in Galwan Valley of Ladakh had planned to solemnise his marriage later this year. His engagement ceremony was held last year and his family was waiting for him to return on leave.

But the destiny willed otherwise. He was among the four soldiers from Punjab killed in the violent face-off on Monday night. At least 20 Army personnel were killed in the clash, according to the Indian authorities.

Relatives of Naib Subedar Satnam Singh (42), who belonged to Punjab's Gurdaspur and was one of the four soldiers from Punjab, say they are proud of his sacrifice. The other two soldiers are Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh (Patiala) and Sepoy Gurtej Singh (Mansa).

Mandeep hailed from Seel village of Rajpura tehsil in Patiala while Gurtej belonged to Bire Wala Dogra village in Budhladha tehsil of Mansa district. Gurbinder belonged to Tolawal village in Sunam subdivision of Sangrur.

Gurbinder's family received news about his death on Wednesday morning. “We received a call at 6.30 am today that Gurbinder Singh has attained martyrdom,” said Gurpreet Singh, Gurbinder’s elder brother.

The body is expected to reach Tolawal village on Thursday. Gurbinder had joined the Army in March 2018. He is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister. He was the youngest son.

Gurbinder last time talked to them around 15 days ago, his family members said. Gurbinder, who belonged to 3 Punjab Regiment, got engaged last year when he came back home on a brief leave, said Jagseer Singh, Gurbinder's maternal uncle.

“We had plans for his marriage this year when he returns home on leave,” Jagseer told PTI. Meanwhile, the father of Naib Subedar Satnam Singh, who hailed from Bhojraj village in Gurdaspur, said he was proud of his son’s sacrifice.

Jagir Singh, an agriculturist, said,” He is a great martyr and I am proud of him. He last talked to us on Monday but no one knew that was his last call.” He said his son Satnam had returned to join duty in Ladakh last month. Satnam's younger brother Sukhchain Singh, who is also serving in the Army, said his brother sacrificed his life for the nation and he was proud of it.

Satnam joined the Army in 1995. He is survived by his father Jagir Singh, mother Jasbir Kaur, wife Jaswinder Kaur, daughter Sandeep Kaur (17) and son Prabhjot Singh (16). After the news about his death reached his native village, his entire family was inconsolable.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed condolences to families of the soldiers and announced compensation, along with a government job to a next of kin of the deceased. While one family member each would be given a government job in all four cases, families of Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh and Naib Subedar Santnam Singh will be given Rs 12 lakh compensation each in line with the government policy on account of their marital status.

The families of the two unmarried soldiers, Sepoy Gurtej Singh and Sepoy Gurbinder Singh, will be given Rs 10 lakh each as compensation (Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia and Rs 5 lakh in lieu of land), a government statement said..