Soldier dies in road mishap

Our Correspondent

Una, December 13

Rifleman Rajat Kumar of the Rashtriya Rifles, who was presently posted in Jammu, died in a road accident on Saturday night at Pirthipur village of Gagret sub-division.

The 26-year-old soldier was coming home on leave and was riding a motorcycle. Just half-a-kilometer short of his house situated in Dangoh Khas village, Rajat’s bike hit a roadside tree on a sharp turn. His body was lying on the motorcycle in a roadside field when a local resident noticed it in the morning. He was declared dead on arrival at the government hospital in Daulatpur Chowk.

According to Rajat Kumar’s father Ravi Singh, Rajat, along with another colleague, who belonged to Nangal Khaneda village in Punjab, were proceeding to their homes on leave. After dropping his colleague at his house, Rajat called up his family at 9 pm, informing them that he would be reaching home the same night.

When he failed to reach home, the family members kept calling on his mobile phone, which remained unanswered. Sunday morning, a local noticed the body and informed the panchayat. Police sources said the body had been handed over to the family members after a post-mortem examination.