Wreath laying ceremony held for two slain soldiers in J&K's Rajouri

Senior Army officials said the coffins wrapped in the tricolour were airlifted from Rajouri to Jammu in a helicopter.

A wreath laying ceremony was held on Sunday for two Army personnel, including an officer, who lost their lives in a landmine explosion during patrolling in a forward area near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

After the ceremony held at a garrison in Rajouri town at around 2 p.m., the mortal remains of Lieutenant Rishi Kumar and Sepoy Manjit Singh were dispatched to their home towns in Bihar and Punjab for last rites, they said.

The two soldiers were killed and another critically injured when a landmine exploded near a forward post in Kalal area of Nowshera sector on Saturday.

The officials said the bodies were brought to the Army camp where a wreath laying ceremony was organised to pay homage to them.

Senior Army officials said the coffins wrapped in the tricolour were airlifted from Rajouri to Jammu in a helicopter.

Later, the body of Lt. Kumar, a resident of Begusarai in Bihar, was moved to his hometown in a service aircraft and is expected to reach Patna at 6.30 p.m. It will then be taken to his home by road.

Union minister Giriraj Singh, who represents the Begusarai constituency in parliament, is likely to receive the body at the airport and join the funeral prayers of the officer, officials said.

The body of Sepoy Manjit Singh was taken by road from Jammu to his village Khera Kotli in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.

The last rites of both the personnel would be held with full honours, officials said.

₹50 lakh ex-gratia, govt job to next of kin of Sepoy Manjit Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of ₹50 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of Sepoy Manjit Singh.

Extending his sympathies, Mr. Channi said Singh’s utmost dedication to defend the country’s unity and integrity by sacrificing his life would ever inspire his fellow soldiers to perform their duties with far more devotion and commitment.

Singh, who died in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, hailed from Khera Kotli village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district.

He is survived by his parents, four sisters and a brother, an official statement issued here said.

Source: Read Full Article