Nation bids adieu to Shahpur braveheart

In an emotionally charged ceremony marked by grief and pride, Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of Shahpur, who laid down his life in the line of duty, was cremated today with full state honours at the cremation ground at Shahpur, his hometown.

The heavy cross-border shelling by the Pakistani forces in ‘Operation Sindoor’ in Jammu and Kashmir proved fatal to the martyr.

Draped in the Tricolour, the martyr’s mortal remains were brought to Shahpur amidst chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Shaheed Pawan amar rahe’. Family members, especially the wife of the martyr, his son and daughter and old parents, were all in tears.

Wife Sushma Devi, visibly overwhelmed, saluted the mortal remains wrapped up in the Tricolour. Thousands of mourners lined the streets to pay their last respects, including local residents, veterans and government officials.

Kuldeep Pathania, Speaker of the Himachal Assembly — also representing the Governor and Chief Minister of the state — laid the wreath and Vipin Parmar, MLA Sulah, laid the wreath on behalf of the Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur. According to the state policy, an amount of Rs 30 lakh will be released for the bereaved family.

Speaker Pathania told The Tribune, “The sacrifice made by shaheed Pawan Jariyal, originally hailing from Chamba and now settled in Shahpur of Kangra district, will always be remembered by the state of Himachal. Dev Bhoomi Himachal, also known as Vir Bhoomi, is proud of the heroic deeds and the valour shown by this great son of the soil to whom I offer my deep and solemn tributes.”

Sharing his precious memories, son Abhishek said, “My father always stood firm like a rock in his resolve. He lived for the nation and died protecting its dignity at the border.” Though in extreme sorrow, Anamika, daughter of the martyr, said, “We are proud of him.” The proud father of the braveheart, an ex-serviceman himself, received the Tricolour from the Army.

Among the dignitaries who attended the cremation were Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Rajeev Bhardwaj MP Kangra, Kewal Pathania MLA Shahpur, Chandershekhar MLA Dharampur, former MLAs — Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, Sarveen Choudhary, Arun Kukka and Vishal Nehria. Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police Kangra, SDM and member of the nagar panchayat Shahpur also participated in the wreath-laying ceremony.

Was due to retire in August

Subedar Major Pawan Kumar — serving the armed forces for the past 32 years — was due for retirement in August. Garaj Singh Jariyal, his father, an ex-serviceman from the same 25 Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army in which Pawan was serving, looked composed as he told The Tribune, “My son has done what I could not do for this great nation.”

Pawan was regularly in touch with the family over the telephone. He had talked to his wife the night before May 10 when at about 7.30 am, the cross-border shelling proved fatal for him.

Being close to his retirement, Pawan could have easily asked for a peace station but his neighbours disclosed that the braveheart chose to be at the border. At present, he was stationed in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.