Pakistan ceasefire violation: ‘Wanted to celebrate his promotion, birthday,’ says Captain Kapil Kundu’s sister

At Kundu’s funeral in Gurgaon. (Express Photo: Manoj Kumar)

For residents of Ransika village, in Haryana’s Pataudi district, near Gurgaon, Captain Kapil Kundu was a source of pride and inspiration. “Other people from our village have been in the Army but they have all been Junior Commissioned Officers. He was the first to be promoted to such a high post,” local resident Tarif Kundu said.

Born and raised in Ransika, Kundu, the youngest of three siblings, was one of the four soldiers killed in Rajouri sector of J&K on Sunday evening.

Elder sister Kajal Mehlawal — both sisters are based in Najafgarh, west Delhi, after marriage — said Kundu had been home for about three weeks during Diwali, and was supposed to come later this week. “I last spoke with him on Sunday afternoon, and he was delighted about his promotion. We were all very excited about celebrating that, as well as his birthday,” Kajal said.

Kundu lost his father six years ago. Soon after, he finished schooling in 2012 from Divine Dale International School in Sherpur, not far from Ransika, and joined the National Defence Academy. After completing his NDA training in 2016, Kundu was first posted in Poonch, and had been transferred to Rajouri only a week ago after being promoted as Captain on January 26.

Cousin Sachin Chillar, 20, said Kundu would have excelled whatever field he had chosen. “When other children were out playing on holidays, he would study…. He was always a sincere student — I don’t think he ever scored less than 95 per cent,” Chillar said.

Chillar said Kundu held no grudges against Pakistanis. “He would tell us that Pakistan (occupied Kashmir) was only metres away. He would show us videos he had recorded there and say, ‘See that is Pakistan (PoK) – just like India’.”

At 9.45 pm, half-an-hour after the body arrived from Jammu, Captain Kapil Kundu’s body left his village for the last time.

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