Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, May 11: Rifleman Sunil Kumar of Trewa village in Jammu district, who was critically injured in Pakistani shelling at the Abdullian Post in RS Pura sector on Saturday morning and later succumbed to his injuries, was cremated with full military honours at Purmandal area in Samba district today.
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The last rites witnessed an outpouring of grief and pride as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Jammu-Poonch MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP MLAs Chander Prakash Ganga, Surjeet Singh Slathia, Dr Narinder Singh, Rajiv Bhagat, other local leaders, Army personnel, his family members, and thousands of mourners gathered to pay their last respects to the martyr soldier.
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The air was filled with patriotic chants such as “Shaheed Sunil Kumar Amar Rahe”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, and “Pakistan Murdabad”.
After participating in the martyred soldier’s last rites, Lieutenant Governor Sinha also posted a tribute on X, stating, “Paid tribute to the Army Braveheart Rfn Sunil Kumar, who laid down his life in the line of duty for the Nation. India will never forget his selfless service and supreme sacrifice. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved family.”
Earlier in the morning, the tricolour-wrapped mortal remains of the martyr were brought to his native village, Trewa in the Arnia sector, by his local unit in an Army vehicle around 10 am.
The arrival was marked by heart-wrenching scenes as the wailing family members and a sea of people, who had gathered at the spot, requested for a final glimpse of their village hero.
Rifleman Sunil Kumar (25) served in the 4-Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (4-JAKLI) Regiment and hailed from a family with a proud military tradition.
His father, Yash Pal, is a retired soldier, while both his elder brothers are currently serving in the Army—one posted in Sikkim and the other in the Miran Sahib area of Jammu district. He was the youngest among four siblings, including a sister.
Kumar had recently completed the plaster work on his family home in Trewa as his parents were planning to get him married soon.
Locals at the cremation ground described the martyr soldier as a brave and humble young man. They described his sacrifiece a setback for the village and a feeling of pride.
“His sacrifice is both heartbreaking and a matter of great pride for our village,” said one resident.
“Our area has given many soldiers to the country, and his martyrdom reinforces our commitment to the nation.”
Another villager voiced discontent over the ceasefire agreement with the rogue nation, Pakistan.
“We are tired of repeated firing, shelling and terrorist attacks from across the border on our land. This is not the time for talks but for giving decisive response to the enemy. Our brave soldiers and civilians should not suffer anymore,” he said.
Former Sarpanch of Trewa, Balbir Kour, also remembered Sunil as a dedicated youth, who always aspired to wear the uniform.
Kour said, Kumar joined the Army at the age of 19-20, and was currently posted in Kullian, but deployed to Abdullian in the RS Pura sector to protect the motherland.
“Our village will always remember his courage and sacrifice,” she added.
She too felt that the nation lost an opportunity to bring Pakistan “to its knees” and safeguard the coming generations from the mischief of the neighbouring country.
“We have suffered a lot over the year….almost the entire village was evacuated, but we were looking for such a solution where we no longer had to shoulder the coffin of our youngsters or leave our homes again. We were expecting the Government to teach Pakistan a lesson so that it can never think of indulging in terror attacks to bleed India,” she told a news agency.
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