Twenty-eight-year-old Sandeep Kumar Shetty was to arrive home for his wedding on February 21. But his aged parents at Devihalli near Hassan and the woman who was to be his bride were shattered on receiving news of the sepoy’s death in the avalanche at Gurez valley in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian Army informed his parents, Puttaraju and Gangamma, that Sandeep from the 51 Rashtriya Rifles, was missing after an avalanche at around 6 a.m. on Friday. A few hours later came the news that his body had been recovered. Now, all they have to wait for is his body, which is expected to reach Devihalli by Saturday.
Sandeep Kumar had been serving in the forces for the last eight years. Though he hailed from a family of soldiers, with his maternal grandfather in the army, his family had opposed his choice of career.
Sandeep visited his village in November 2016 and participated in the inauguration of a temple there. That was also when his marriage was finalised.
His fiance resides in Bengaluru. Today, his family and friends are in a state of shock as his recent visit is still fresh in their memory. “He was here on November 11, when the temple was inaugurated,” recalled Manje Gowda, a resident of Devihalli.
The Hassan district administration is yet to get official communication from the army about his death. Deputy Commissioner V. Chaitra told The Hindu , “The Ministry of Defence is believed to have communicated to the family members about the incident. However, we are yet to receive the information in writing. So far, there is no information when the body would reach Hassan.” Subedar T. Nagesh of Tejuru village near Hassan was killed in an avalanche at Siachen in February 2016.
