MP: Martyred Army soldier cremated with full military honours
Earlier in the morning, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced Rs one crore financial assistance to Vishwakarma's family
Army soldier Manish Vishwakarma who was martyred in Jammu and Kashmir last week was cremated on Wednesday in his hometown Khujner in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgah district with full military honours.
Eleven persons were injured when the roof of a building on which they were standing to watch the funeral procession collapsed.
Manish’s elder brother Harish Vishwakarma (the family is also known by the surname `Carpenter’), an armyman himself, performed the last rites.
District collector Niraj Singh and Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma laid the wreath and paid tribute to the soldier.
Earlier, the mortal remains of Manish were brought to Khujner from Bhopal, 130 km away.
People in towns and villages along the route gathered in large numbers and shouted slogans such as “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”. Banners and posters hailing the soldier were put up at several places.
Manish had got married only last year, his father Siddhnath Carpenter said.
He had spoken to him a week ago, and Manish had told him that he would visit Khujner after Dussehra and requested to bring his wife Aarti (21), who was staying at her parent’s place, a grief-stricken Siddhnath said.
“I have two sons and both were in the Army. I am proud that one of my sons sacrificed his life while serving the country,” he said.
The roof of an old building near Vishwakarma’s house collapsed as a large number of people climbed on it to watch the funeral procession, Khujner police station in-charge J B Rai said.
Eleven persons were injured and one of them was shifted to Shajapur for further treatment, Rai said.
Earlier in the morning, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced Rs one crore financial assistance to Vishwakarma’s family.
The chief minister also announced a government job to a family member. A statue of the martyred soldier will be erected and an institution shall be named after him, Chouhan said.
Manish Vishwakarma was injured grievously in a gun battle during a counter-insurgency operation last week in Baramulla. He succumbed in hospital.
