Tearful adieu to Uri martyrs, last rites with state honour

New Delhi, Sept 21: An emotional farewell was given to Uri martyrs with the last rites of the fallen soldiers being performed in their native villages with state honour.

Amid slogans by villagers who took out processions, tearful family members bid goodbye to their loved ones as the bodies of army personnel killed in the terror attack at Brigade headquarters in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, were brought to their respective villages.

Rich tributes were paid in Maharashtra to Sandip Somnath Thok from Nashik district, Chandrakant Shankar Galande (Satara), Vikas Janardhan Kulmethe (Yavatmal) and Panjab alias Vikas Janrao Uike (Amravati) as their mortal remains were brought. They were given a gun salute.

In Jharkhand, a candlelight march was taken out in memory of Nayaman Kujur of Gumla and Javra Munda of Khunti -- who were among the 18 killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists and their last rites were performed with state honour.

The mortal remains of N S Rawat were consigned to flames with full military honour in his native village in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. There was hardly a dry eye when Rawat's five-year-old son, Chandan Singh lit the funeral pyre with the soldier's daughters standing nearby.

Three soldiers from Bihar -- S K Vidyarthi (Gaya), Rakesh Singh (Kaimur) and Ashok Kumar Singh (Ara) were given farewell with state ministers attending their funeral. Jawans Gangadhar Dolui and Biswajit Ghorai, who were from West Bengal, were also accorded a gun salute during their last rites.

PTI