CM pays tribute to Galwan martyrs

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh paid tributes to the soldiers, who were killed in a violent faceoff with the Chinese at the Galwan valley earlier this week, when their mortal remains arrived here from Leh today.

The Chief Minister drove down to the Chandigarh Air Forces Station and laid wreaths on the coffins of the fallen soldiers after these were off-loaded from an IAF aircraft.

Four soldiers from Punjab were among the 20 Indian troopers, including a Colonel commanding a battalion of the Bihar Regiment, who was killed in the fracas. The Chinese too suffered many casualties, according to some reports.

While the mortal remains of Naib Subedar Satnam Singh of Gurdaspur and Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh had arrived on Thursday, the mortal remains of Sepoy Gurbinder Singh of Sangrur, Sepoy Gurtej Singh of Mansa and Sepoy Ankush Singh of Hamirpur were airlifted to Chandigarh on Friday.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had termed the act of killing Indian soldiers as “horrendous” and demanded accountability for the loss of lives. On Thursday, Captain Amarinder had announced that the state government has hiked the ex gratia payable to martyrs from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

Among others who laid wreaths were Brig TS Mundi, Station Commander, Chandimandir, and Maj Prashant, who represented the martyr’s unit. A wreath was also laid on behalf of Chief of the Air Staff.

The mortal remains were later moved to the martyrs’ respective home town by road.