DEHRADUN — A family already grappling with the devastating loss of a Major in the Indian Army now faces another tragedy as his cousin, 26-year-old Adarsh Negi, was killed in action during a convoy attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
“Just two months ago, we lost a son who died serving his country. He was a Major. Now, we have found out that five Armymen from the Pauri-Garhwal region were killed in a militant attack on a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir, including Adarsh,” said Balwant Singh Negi, the paternal uncle of the slain soldier and a resident of Thati Dagar village in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district.
Balwant Negi’s son, Major Pranay Negi, was serving in Leh and died on April 30.
Adarsh Negi was among five Armymen killed when militants attacked a military convoy in the Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Monday afternoon. The militants hurled a grenade at the Army vehicles on a routine patrol on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road, about 150 km from Kathua, and then opened fire.
Adarsh Negi joined the Garhwal Rifles in 2018 and is survived by his father, a farmer, his mother, a brother who works in Chennai, and an elder sister who is married.
Even as the wails of grieving women filled the background, the soldier’s uncle said, “He was a very sharp kid and completed his intermediate from a school in the village. He then studied BSc from Garhwal University. He was always very fit, and I advised him to maintain his physical fitness, which eventually got him a job in the Army. Now, he has laid down his life for the country.”
“We have lost two sons in two months. I urge the government to take strong steps. Employment is scarce, and children from Garhwal and Kumaon often return as martyrs. This breaks the entire family,” he added.
Adarsh Negi’s father, Dalbir Singh Negi, said, “We spoke to him last on Sunday. He said he was having food and was headed for duty. He had come to the village to attend a wedding and left in March.”
Monday’s attack on the convoy was the second on the Army in 48 hours. On Sunday, a soldier was injured when an Army camp was attacked in Rajouri. — (NDTV)