With grief and fortitude, the relatives and loved ones of Havildar Jotiba Ganpati Chougule, who died on Monday in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Kashmir’s Gurez sector, performed his last rites amid a sea of mourners in Kolhapur’s Gadhinglaj taluka on Wednesday.
The soldier’s mortal remains reached Kolhapur in the morning on a special military plane from Jammu. The funeral, which was to have taken place on Tuesday, was delayed as poor weather had prevented the plane from flying out of Jammu.
Mourners followed the funeral cortège bearing Chougule’s remains, draped in the Tricolour, as it made its journey from Kolhapur city to his ancestral village in Mahagaon-Umbarwadi.
All shops and establishments in Mahagaon and Umbarwadi downed shutters as a mark of respect to their fallen brave heart. Thousands of residents from neighbouring villages converged at the funeral in Mahagaon to partake in the sorrow of the Chougule family.
In a particularly poignant moment, the soldier’s eldest son, nine-year-old Atharva, saluted the funeral pyre after lighting it and bid adieu to his gallant father as he was laid to rest with full military honours.
The pyre was lit amid chants of “Shahid Jotiba Chougule amar rahe (Long live martyr Jotiba Chougule).”
The 37-year-old soldier, who sustained bullet injuries while manning a forward post in Gurez sector in Bandipora district, is survived by his wife, Yashoda, and two sons.
Chougule’s relatives recalled his spirit of self-sacrifice and burning ambition to join the armed forces right from childhood, while local residents reminisced about his helpful nature and capacity for hard work. His dream was realised when joined the Army in April 2002.
All senior officials from the Kolhapur district administration, senior police officers, soldiers of the Maratha Light Infantry and Army personnel of other ranks were present at the funeral.
“Havildar Chougule had been home on leave barely a fortnight ago. This brief spell of happiness was shattered on Monday when the news of his death reached the family,” said a district official.
