Pb: Soldier cremated with state honours, 3-month-old daughter lights pyre

The last rites of Army soldier Ranjit Singh Salaria, who was among the five troopers killed after being hit by an avalanche in Jammu and Kashmir, were performed with military honours at his native village in Punjab on Friday.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed at the cremation ground as the funeral pyre of the 26-year-old soldier was lit by his three-month-old daughter, Pari. The soldier was yet to meet his daughter as he was on duty in Jammu and Kashmir when Pari was born in December last year, Salaria's father Harbans Singh said.

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As Salaria's mortal remains reached Sidhpur village, several locals who had gathered to pay tributes raised slogans like 'Ranjit Singh amar rahe'. Army officials presented a guard of honour when Salaria's body was brought to the cremation ground, wrapped in the national flag.

Subedar Major Ravi Kumar said that Salaria was among the five soldiers, who were buried alive in a checkpost after being hit by an avalanche in Macchal sector of north Kashmir on Tuesday. All five personnel were pulled out of the avalanche debris. Despite best efforts, Salaria succumbed to extreme hypothermia, he said.

A large number of people from various walks of life, including senior army and civil officers attended the funeral ceremony. "I am really feeling proud on the martyrdom of my son as he died for the country," Harbans Singh said, adding that his son had got married last year.

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