Two Punjab soldiers killed in Galwan Valley cremated with full military honours

Amid touching scenes, mortal remains of soldiers Gurbinder Singh and Gurtej Singh who died fighting Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley were consigned to flames at their native villages in Punjab with full military honours on Friday.

Amid touching scenes, mortal remains of soldiers Gurbinder Singh and Gurtej Singh who died fighting Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley were consigned to flames at their native villages in Punjab with full military honours on Friday. Sepoys Gurbinder Singh (22) and Gurtej Singh (23) were cremated in their native Tolawal village at Sunam in Sangrur district and Bire Wala Dogra in Budhladha tehsil of Mansa district in the state. Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed as family members of the soldiers were inconsolable. The families said they were proud of the soldiers' supreme sacrifice made for the sake of their motherland. The villagers also hailed the soldiers as many demanded that China should be given a befitting reply. Slogans like ''Shaheed Amar Rahe'' rent the air when the soldiers' bodies reached the villages. Gurbinder's brother lit the funeral pyre, while Gurtej's father and elder brother lit the pyre in the presence of officials from the Army, police, civil administration and political parties. Scores of villagers gathered to bid a tearful adieu to the fallen soldiers, who were given a gun salute by the Army. Gurbinder's family had planned to solemnise his marriage this year. His house in the village was being renovated and perhaps it was being readied for his wedding, but destiny had other plans. He came back home wrapped in the tricolour. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh earlier paid floral tributes to Gurbinder, Gurtej and another sepoy Ankush Thakur from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh when their mortal remains were flown to Chandigarh from Leh in a special military aircraft before being taken to their native places. At the Air Force Station at Chandigarh, Chief of Staff, Army's Western Command, Lt Gen Gurpal Singh Sangha also laid a wreath on behalf of the Western Army Commander. "..Salute their supreme sacrifice at this young age. The nation is forever indebted. Jai Hind!" Amarinder Singh tweeted. While coming out from the Air Force station in Chandigarh, Amarinder told reporters that the attack was "horrendous" and "barbaric" and that India should take strict retaliatory action. In Sangrur village, state minister Vijay Inder Singla, BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna and AAP leader Aman Arora were present during the cremation, while SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Gurbinder's family to express his condolence. Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal was present in Gurtej's native village in Mansa when the soldier's last rites were held. As the bodies of sepoys Gurbinder Singh and Gurtej Singh reached their villages, several youngsters, braving the hot weather, were waiting with tricolours in their hands to pay tributes to the brave soldiers. They showered petals on the bedecked military vehicles as these entered the respective villages carrying the mortal remains of the soldiers. Gurbinder had joined the Army in March 2018. He belonged to the 3rd Punjab Regiment. He is survived by his parents, brother and sister. He was the youngest son of the family. He got engaged last year when he came home on a brief visit, Jagseer Singh, Gurbinder's maternal uncle said. Sepoy Gurtej Singh is survived by his father Virsa Singh, mother Parkash Kaur and two elder brothers. On Thursday, two soldiers--Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh and Naib Subedar Satnam Singh--who also died fighting the Chinese in Galwan Valley were cremated at their native villages in Patiala and Gurdaspur districts

Four of the 20 soldiers who died in the clash in Ladakh were from Punjab. PTI SUN VSD SRY

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