The last rites of Naik Sandip Raghunath Sawant, who was killed in a counter-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, were performed at his village, Mundhe in Satara district, on Friday.
The funeral, held with military honours, was attended by hundreds, including locals and political leaders, who paid floral tributes to the soldier.
Sawant (29) and Rifleman Arjun Thapa Magar (25) were killed when the Army foiled a terrorist infiltration bid along the Line of Control at Nowshera in Rajouri district.
With slogans of ‘Sandip Sawant Amar Rahe (Long live Sandip Sawant)’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, people bid adieu to the soldier, whose infant daughter was also present at the funeral.
Sawant and his wife recently had the baby girl, and he had come home for her naming ceremony and returned to his post just 15 days ago, a relative had said.
District administration officials, Satara MP Srinivas Patil and local politicians attended the funeral.
