Soldier killed in J&K accident cremated with full military honours in Bhojpur

Ara: Hare Ram Kunwar (38), the Bihar Regiment (fourth unit) jawan who was among the 10 Indian Army personnel who lost their lives in an accident in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, was cremated with full military honours on Saturday at Mahuli Ghat in Bhojpur district amid scenes of grief.“Papa always asked us to study hard and become a big officer. He had talked to me during his last visit to our home in Dec,” said Priyanshu (11), the elder son of the deceased soldier, who lit the funeral pyre.There were tears all around when the soldier’s eight-year-old younger son gave a final salute to his father’s mortal remains on the banks of the river Ganga at Mahuli Ghat. Indian Army personnel accorded a ceremonial guard of honour to their fallen colleague before the body was consigned to flames.Earlier on Saturday, as soon as the soldier’s body, wrapped in the tricolour, was brought to Nathmalpur village under the Barhara block of Bhojpur district by Army jawans, his mother Shanti Devi, who had spoken to him just a few hours before the accident, fainted. The soldier’s wife Khushboo Devi also almost fainted and sobbed inconsolably, saying, “What happened to your promise that you would always look after me and our children? Now how will I raise the children alone?”Turning to an Army jawan, she said, “My children have become orphans. Who will take responsibility for them?”Hare Ram Kunwar had been recruited into the Danapur-based Bihar Regiment in 2009 and was due to retire in 2028. His untimely death has shattered the dreams and future of his family.Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha also paid tributes to the departed soldier in a post on X on Saturday.