A profound sense of sorrow enveloped Barnog village in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday as the community gathered to pay their last respects to Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar. The arrival of his mortal remains was met with heartfelt tributes and emotional farewells from family, friends, and residents, who filled the area with chants of “Jai Hind” amid their mourning.
Rakesh Kumar, whose life was tragically cut short during a gunfight with terrorists in Kishtwar district, had recently returned home on leave. His family had been looking forward to his plans to rebuild their home, which was damaged during monsoon rains the previous year. Speaking of their loss, his brother Karam Singh recounted, “Our ten-room house was damaged last year, and we were living in a rented house. Rakesh had promised to start the construction of the new house in January.”
The family is left to grieve the loss of Rakesh Kumar, who is survived by his wife, Bhanupriya, their 13-year-old daughter Yashshwini, 7-year-old son Pranav, and his 90-year-old mother, Bhati Devi. His remains were transported by a special Army helicopter, which landed at the Kangni helipad on Monday afternoon. From there, they were taken to Ner Chowk Medical College before reaching the family’s home in Barnog on Tuesday morning.
Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar served with valor in the Army’s 2 Para and was killed while engaged in action against terrorists who were implicated in the kidnapping and murder of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in the area. The shocking killings prompted a significant combing operation by security forces throughout Kuntwara and Keshwan, with special forces commandos aggressively pursuing the terrorists believed to be involved. The Kashmir Tigers, a faction linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), claimed responsibility for the attack on the VDGs.
This year’s violence in the region has escalated, with 16 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three VDGs reported killed in various attacks across Jammu. Security forces, in response, have also managed to neutralize 13 terrorists in the area. In a separate wave of violence in Kashmir, nine security personnel and 15 civilians lost their lives as a result of terrorist activities, while 24 terrorists were killed by security forces.
As the villagers and family members gathered to honor Rakesh Kumar’s sacrifice, the weight of their loss served as a somber reminder of the ongoing struggles faced in the region due to terrorist activities, and the further call to action for safety and justice.
