Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday paid tributes to sepoy Gajjan Singh, who was cremated at his native Pachranda village in Nurpur Bedi sub division of Ropar district with full military honours.
Shouldering the mortal remains of the martyr and accompanied by Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh, the chief minister laid a wreath and participated in the ‘ardas (prayer)’. He accompanied the martyr’s nephew and his father to light the pyre of the soldier who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in a gunfight with terrorists in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on October 11.
Sharing the family’s grief, Channi said: “Sepoy Gajjan Singh’s supreme sacrifice will inspire his fellow soldiers to perform their duties with utmost dedication and commitment to preserve the country’s sovereignty and integrity.”
As the mortal remains of the 26-year-old soldier reached his village, Channi and Rana KP Singh stepped forward to carry the Tricolour-draped coffin on their shoulders.
The chief minister announced that the Punjab government will give ₹50 lakh and a government job to a family member of the sepoy.
The entire village gathered to pay tributes to its brave son, who was cremated with full state honours.
Channi represents the Chamkaur Sahib constituency in Ropar district.
Farmer’s son, he was concerned about stir
Sepoy Gajjan Singh had joined 23 Sikh Regiment nine years ago. He had got married in February this year and a photo of him in wedding attire, holding a farmer union flag, was widely circulated on social media.
The youngest of four brothers, he had visited his family two months ago to attend his brother’s wedding. He is survived by his wife, Harpreet Kaur, and parents, Charan Singh and Malkeet Kaur.
“We never thought that such a day would come. We have lost everything,” his father, Charan Singh, said. His uncle, Dilbagh Singh, said the family was shattered beyond words. “The family owns 2.5 acres of farmland. Gajjan was concerned about the farmers’ agitation against the three laws,” he said.