The mortal remains of BSF sub-inspector Mohammad Imtiaz, who was martyred on May 10 during heavy cross-border shelling in the RS Pura sector of Jammu, arrived at Patna airport on Monday.
His young son Imran stood by the coffin, with tearful eyes, before finally breaking down. "I am proud of you, Papa. I salute all the soldiers martyred in this battle and thank the nation for standing with us," he said, while speaking to news agency ANI.
“I want the govt to give a stern punishment to Pakistan. Today, in this attack, I lost my father and a wife lost her husband. No one can understand this pain except those who have lost someone. Pakistan should be taught such a lesson that no son loses the shadow of his father,” his son further said.
Imtiaz was hit in the leg by a bullet and succumbed to his injuries. His body was flown from Delhi to Patna, where he was given a guard of honour at the airport.
Thousands gathered to bid farewell in Narayanpur village in Bihar’s Saran district. Chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Pakistan Murdabad" echoed through the village as his coffin arrived. His wife, Shaheen Azima, collapsed upon seeing the body. The family had kept the news from her for two days, hoping to shield her from the shock.
Imtiaz was buried with full police honours and Muslim funeral rites. His younger brothers, Mohammad Mustafa and Mohammad Aslam handled the funeral arrangements. Both men serve with the BSF – Mustafa as a sub-inspector and Aslam posted at the Bangladesh and Meghalaya frontiers, TOI reported.
The village mourned the loss of a soldier who was also known for his kindness and patriotism among the villagers. "He used to say that after retirement, he would return to the village, take up farming and start a business," recalled his maternal uncle, Shamsuddin.
While speaking to TOI, his brother Aslam demanded strict action against Pakistan. “Imtiaz spoke to his wife just before the attack and was worried about the rising tension in Kashmir,” Aslam said. “Pakistan should be wiped off the world map," Aslam added.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to visit the family in Narayanpur on Tuesday. He will offer condolences and hand over a compensation cheque of Rs 21 lakh. At Patna airport, several political leaders, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shravan Kumar, and Nitin Nabin, paid their respects.
“It is because of such brave martyrs that we are all safe today. The nation will always remember their sacrifice. We all should be proud of the Indian army and soldiers the way they gave the befitting reply to Pakistan. This is not for the first time the Indian army has boldly replied to Pakistan, It has happened before as well,” Tejaswi Yadav said, while speaking to the media.
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