Agniveer laid to rest with military honours in Kangra village

A pall of gloom enveloped Thural village, located 30 km from here in the Dheera subdivision of Kangra district, as the mortal remains of Agniveer Naveen Kumar arrived in his native village this morning. Naveen lost his life while on duty in Leh-Ladakh when a massive boulder struck an Army post.

Naveen Kumar, 25, had joined the Indian Army as an Agniveer three years ago. After completing his training, he had been stationed in Leh-Ladakh for the past year and a half. On Tuesday night, a sudden landslide sent heavy boulders crashing down on an Army post, killing him instantly. His parents received the heartbreaking news from Army Headquarters on Wednesday.

His body was flown from Leh to Chandigarh and then brought to Thural, where hundreds of villagers gathered to pay their last respects.

Later in the day, Naveen was cremated with full military honours in the presence of thousands of mourners, including residents from surrounding villages. Sulaha MLA Vipin Singh Parmar laid a wreath on behalf of Jai Ram Thakur, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. No sitting ministers or Congress MLAs were present at the cremation. However, SDM Salem Aajam paid tribute on behalf of the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Senior military officials from Yol Camp, Jammu and Holta Military Station laid wreaths on behalf of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. CM Sukhu, who was in Delhi at the time, extended his condolences in a message to the bereaved family. “The entire nation salutes the dedication and spirit of our soldiers, who serve in the harshest conditions to safeguard the country,” he said.

Himachal Tribune