A 22-year-old man was among 20 army men killed in a clash with Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
Chandigarh:
When Sepoy Gurbinder Singh came home last year, he got engaged. “We were planning his wedding this year when he had to go home on leave,” his uncle Jagseer Singh told PTI.
Now his body arrives Thursday in their village of Totawal in the Sunam tehsil of Sangrur.
The 22-year-old was among 20 army men killed on Monday in a clash with Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
Four of the soldiers were from Punjab. The other three were Naib Subedar Satnam Singh (Gurdaspur), Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh (Patiala) and Sepoy Gurtej Singh (Mansa).
“We received a call today at 6:30 am saying that Gurbinder Singh has reached martyrdom,” said his older brother Gurpreet Singh.
Gurbinder Singh joined the military in 2018 and was part of the 3 Punjab Regiment. He is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister. He spoke to them over the phone about 15 days ago, family members said.
In the village of Bhojraj in Gurdaspur, the family of Naib Subedar Satnam Singh, 41, was inconsolable.
He is survived by his father Jagir Singh, his mother Jasbir Kaur, his wife Jaswinder Kaur, his daughter Sandeep Kaur, 17, and his son Prabhjot Singh, 16. He joined the army in 1995.
Jagir Singh said his son returned to Ladakh just a month ago.
“He is a great martyr and I am proud of him. He spoke to us for the last time on Monday but no one knew it was his last call,” said the father.
Satnam Singh’s younger brother Sukhchain Singh, who is also in the military, said that if he had the chance to avenge the death of Indian soldiers. He was proud that Satnam had sacrificed his life for the nation.
In the village of Seel, in the Tehsil Rajpura of Patiala, the family of Naib Subedar Mandeep Singh, 39, was in mourning.
The family includes his 65-year-old mother Shakuntla, his wife Gurdeep Kaur and his three sisters. Gurdeep Kaur said she spoke to him just a few days ago.
Mandeep Singh joined the military in December 1997.
Patiala MP Preneet Kaur comforted family members.
The fourth Punjab soldier, Sepoy Gurtej Singh, 22, comes from the village of Bire Wala Dogra in the Budhadha tehsil district of Mansa.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed condolences to the families on Wednesday and announced compensation for them.
Under government policy, immediate family members of married soldiers receive Rs 12 lakh. The families of the unmarried soldiers receive 10 lakh rupees.
