Army pays last salute to soldier killed in avalanche

Vishal Jasrotia

Samba, December 18

The mortal remains of Sepoy Koushal Singh, who died in an avalanche in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara district, were today laid to rest with full military honours at Uttervahini village of Samba district.

Colonel Sanjay Yadav, who attended the cremation ceremony on behalf of the Army, said the body was flown to Samba from Kashmir on Sunday evening after rescue teams of the Army managed to recover Sepoy Koushal Singh’s body on the sixth day of the search operation.

His body was brought to his ancestral place in Badla Deoni village of Samba, he said.

The family of the soldier was unable to come to terms with the loss. Makhni Devi, mother of soldier Koushal Singh, was in a state of shock and there was disbelief on her face. She always prayed for her son’s well-being and had unwavering faith that nothing would happen to him. But her world came crashing down when she learnt that her son had died in an avalanche on Sunday evening.

Makhni Devi rested her head on the Tricolour-draped coffin of her son and wept inconsolably, sometimes getting hysterical and losing consciousness. Seeing her condition, villagers and loved ones could not hold back their tears. She kept saying that she wanted to see her son getting married.

The slain soldier’s father, Chuni Singh, sat motionless and his younger sister, Sheetal (16), was inconsolable.

Born on February 12, 1998, Sepoy Koushal Singh had joined the Army in 2016 and was posted with the 20 Dogra Regiment since September 2017.

Relatives, district administration officials, politicians and people from all walks of life attended the soldier’s funeral and paid tributes to him.