SHAHEED

LANCE NAIK

SHYAM SINGH

Tearful send-off to brave sons

SHIMLA, July 9 —

Braving heavy monsoon showers, hundreds of people turned up at the Ridge to pay homage to the Kargil hero Lance Naik Shyam Singh of 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles whose body was brought here this morning from the border.

Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, Governor; Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister; Mr Gulab Singh, Speaker; Mr Narinder Bragta, Horticulture Minister; Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi and Maj Gen Jitender Singh of the Army Training Command and Mr T.R. Mahajan, DGP were among those who laid wreaths on the body of the brave soldier.

Nand Ram, father of the martyr, said his son was one of many who had laid down their lives and he was proud of his son.

However, while the body of Shyam Singh was being taken to his village Kalana, his first cousin Jitender Kumar, a new recruit, was all set to join the Army.

"One son has made the supreme sacrifice for the country and the family is now giving another son second to the nation the parents said.

An emotionally charged Jitender (19) said he wanted to complete his Army training as early as possible so that he could take on the enemy in Kargil.

Shyam Singh was one of the three jawans who were killed along with Captain Vikram Batra on the night of July 6.

Mr Dhumal spent some time with the bereaved parents and handed over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to them. He said Rs 3 lakh more would be given to the family in the form of National Savings Certificates separately. He assured the parents of the soldier that a government job would be provided to their younger son and the Government Senior Secondary School in the village would be named after the valiant son.

Mr Roop Dass Kashyap, Minister for Urban Development; Mr R.S. Singh, Deputy Commissioner; and Lt Col A. Sarkar of the Army Training Command, accompanied the coffin to Kalana village. The body was cremated with full military and civil honours in the evening.