Martyred soldiers redefined camaraderie, says Indian Army

Srinagar, Feb 14: The Indian Army on Sunday paid rich tributes to two brave jawans who were martyred in Kupwara during an encounter on Saturday.

At a solemn ceremony, the Army paid homage to Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan, Gunner Sahadev Maruti More at the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.

Chandrabhan was a resident of Nasik in Maharashtra and Maruti hailed from Bijapur in Karnataka.

Both were the leading scouts of the team of Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, which had launched a combined search operation in Zonreshi village of Chowkibal in Kupwara District.

Saluting the heroes, Lt Gen Satish Dua, Chinar Corps Commander said in their sacrifice, the duo has inspired an entire generation of soldiers and future warriors.

According to Army officials, both fallen heroes lived buddies, served buddies and as buddies they embraced martyrdom.

Best buddies together in their last journey

"Being the scouts Naik Shinde Shankar and Gnr Sahadev Maruti bore the brunt but true to their reputation for selfless bravado and grit, they, despite being grievously wounded, immediately retaliated with fire and prevented the terrorists from firing with impunity.

Despite being mortally wounded, they continued fighting the terrorists leading eventually to their elimination," says Col N N Joshi, PRO (Defence), Srinagar.

He said with almost 10 years separating them in age and service, they began their tenures in the 41 Rashtriya Rifles unit together in June last year.

"And in this short span of time, this potent mix of experience and youthful vigor had not only become inseparable buddies but had also carved a niche for themselves as sharp scouts and had been part of numerous operations.

The two embodied the true spirit of the ‘buddy system' in the Army that encourages true comradeship between soldiers. They lived by this spirit and they breathed their last lending more to that spirit," adds Col Joshi.

Gunner Maruti was all set to get married

Naik Shinde (34) joined 11 Maratha Light Infantry Battalion in September 2000 and was known for his determination and resilience right from initial days. He is survived by wife Suvarna, six-year-old daughter Vaishnavina, one-and-a-half-year-old son Om and aged parents.

Gnr Maruti (26) comes from a humble family of farmers in Bijapur, Karnataka. His passion for adventure saw him getting enrolled in the Army at Belgaum in 2011 and joined 158 Medium Regiment.

The martyr is survived by his old parents and was about to turn a new leaf in life in a week's time when he was to proceed on leave for his marriage to a girl he had seen last year.

"He was progressive man and insisted on delaying the marriage so that his prospective bride could complete her education," says Col Joshi.

OneIndia News