Emotional scenes witnessed at martyr's funeral

Pathankot, Sept 22: Highly emotional scenes were witnessed today when 2-and-a-half year-old Kanav and his 6- year-old sister Shavita presented their last salute to their father Havaldar Madan Lal Sharma who had died while foiling an infiltration bid in Kashmir on Tuesday.

Sharma was cremated with full military honours in his native Gharota village here with thousands of people participating in the funeral and bidding a tearful adieu to the martyr with pride.

The 37-year-old Havaldar of the Dogra Regiment died on Tuesday while leading his team in the operation that foiled an infiltration bid by armed terrorists in Nowgam sector of Kashmir.

The martyr's mother Dharma Devi could not stop herself and gave shoulder to the coffin of her son as the mortal remains were taken to the cremation ground.

Shavita and Kanav saluted the martyr father which made the public and family emotional with tears rolling down the cheeks of their kith and kin. After final bugle and gun salutes by Army, he was cremated amid presence of the family, top officials of the army and a large number of people who raised slogans like 'Jai Shaheed, Jai army, Jai Hind' (haild the martyr, hail the army and hail the country).

"I talked to him (Sharma) a few days ago. I was planning for 'mundan' (tonsuring ritual) of our son in the coming Navratras. So I requested him, through a phone call, to take leave and participate in the function for which dates were being finalised," the martyr's wife Bhavana Sharma said.

"His reply was quick...he told me he cannot come home at this time as the situation in Kashmir was bad and his duty came first for him," she said amid emotional outburst. Sharma joined Army in 1999 and got married 16 years ago with Bhavana.

"Daughter was born to us after many years of marriage and son only two and half years ago," she said. Madan Lal, who was the youngest of 3 brothers and 2 sons, lost his father few years ago.

People praised him for making the entire hamlet proud with his martyrdom by foiling infiltration bids in Kashmir LoC. "He has made us proud," Shaheed Sainik Parivar Surakshna Parishad, General secretary Kunwar Ravinder Singh said.

PTI