Major Chitresh Bisht was to come home later this month for his marriage scheduled for March 7. He did come but in a coffin wrapped in the national flag and on Monday Uttarkhand bid a tearful farewell to its brave son.
The mortal remains of Major Bisht were consigned to flames at Kharkhari cremation ground on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar with full military honours as thousands of people turned up to pay their last respects.
The funeral pyre was lit by the Major's cousin brother Harshit Bisht in the presence of the officer's elder brother Niraj Bishtand a host of political dignitaries including Cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj, NainitalMP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and others as chants of Vande Matram rent the air.
Earlier, the Bisht household in Nehru Colony echoed withwails of mourning as the Major's mortal remains were brought home on Monday morning from the army hospital in the city where it was kept on Sunday.
Thousands of people comprising Army men, policemen, politicians, relatives, friends and people in general thronged the young army officer's home to pay their last respects as his coffin borne on the shoulders of Army men entered the gates.
People descended on the street which led to the Major's house and climbed their rooftops as his body was brought home.
His distraught mother kept crying inconsolably near the coffin even as his father SS Bisht, a retired police officertried to comfort her while fighting back his own tears.
Just a day after Pulwama terrorist attack in which 40 CRPF men were brutally killed, Major Bisht was killed while defusing an IED along the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The family was preparing for the young officer's marriagewhen it received the shattering news of his sad demise on Saturday evening.
Major Bisht was to come home on February 28 for his marriage.
A large number of politicians including Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, a host of BJP leaders and MLAs including Pradesh party president Ajay Bhatt, legislators Vinod Chamoli, Ganesh Joshi and Munna Singh Chauhan besides former CM and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat placed a wreath on the officer's coffin to pay their homage.
Uttarakhand DGP Anil Raturi and ADG Ashok Kumar were also among a host of senior police officials who turned up to pay their tribute to the Army man.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)