For 24-year-old Captain Subhendu Kumar Mishra of 23 Para Regiment of the Army, no place other than the Line of Control along the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir was a better location to serve the nation.
The officer’s long-cherished dream was shattered on Sunday, when the Indore-Patna Express he was travelling in derailed, killing him. He was on his way to the Command Hospital, Lucknow.
At his home here, family members were inconsolable.
“My nephew had completed advance training before the final posting in the special forces in Kashmir. He would have joined the new posting next month. Capt. Subhendu was on his way to Command Hospital to see a specialist for the shoulder injury he had sustained during the training at Indore,” said his uncle Sisir Mohapatra.
Mr. Mohapatra said: “He would have got off at Kanpur and proceeded to Lucknow from there. But the derailment took place near Pukhrayan. And his dream came to an abrupt end.”
Being the only son of a highly-ranked corporate sector executive, Capt. Subhendu could have chosen any other lucrative career. However, he wanted to be in the armed forces. The young officer would have visited his family in December before joining duty in Kashmir.
Family members were fuming at the way the rescue operation was carried out. “My nephew was in B3-29 seat. The accident had taken place around 3.30 a.m. But till 9.30 p.m., the B3 coach was not touched. Had there been prompt action, many could have been saved. Who knows my nephew could have been among them,” Mr. Mohapatra said.
