Mortal remains of two soldiers, who died in Uri blast, to reach Kolhapur & Satara villages today for final farewell with full honours

Kolhapur: The mortal remains of the two Maharashtra soldiers, who died in “an accidental blast” in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control on Tuesday, will reach their respective villages in Kolhapur and Satara on Friday morning, where preparations are under way for their final farewell with full honours.Arjun Rajendra Jadhav (30) hailed from Shahapur village in Satara. He leaves behind a young family and a dream that will now remain unfulfilled. His son is set to turn one on June 25, a milestone he had hoped to celebrate at home. “His one-month leave had been sanctioned. He was supposed to reach home on June 15,” Dipak Madane, an ex-serviceman from the village, said. “He was married only two years ago,” he said.After studying in his village zilla parishad school, Jadhav completed his education in Yashwantnagar and later in Karad. He joined the Bombay Engineers Group in Pune in 2017, carrying forward his dream of serving the nation. His younger brother followed in his footsteps and is now serving in the Indian Navy, Madane said.At Gondoli village in Kolhapur district, the loss of 32-year-old Vikram Balkrishna Chavan has left another family shattered. A soldier in the Army’s cavalry unit since 2018, Chavan had spent the last two years posted along the volatile LOC. His daughter recently turned two, a birthday he had managed to witness just months ago during a brief visit home.“Chavan had come back two months ago. His father and brother are farmers. After his mother passed away, the family moved back from Airoli in Mumbai to their ancestral village. Today, seven soldiers from our village serve in the Army. We are proud, but this loss is unbearable,” village police patil Rajaram Pawar said.According to the Army, both the soldiers were stationed in the Uri sector, about 100km north of Srinagar. On Tuesday afternoon, they were critically injured in what the Army described as an accidental blast in the Kamalkote area. Despite being rushed to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, both were declared dead on arrival.Their final journey home is now under way. The mortal remains reached Mumbai on Thursday evening, after which teams will transport them to their respective villages after overnight stay in Pune.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to the soldiers, calling them “sons of Maharashtra” who laid down their lives in the line of duty. “I pay heartfelt tributes and share in the grief of their families,” the CM’s post on X read.The Army’s Chinar Corps also expressed solidarity. “We stand firmly with the bereaved families in this hour of grief and remain committed to their dignity and well-being,” a statement issued on X stated.