Amid emotional scenes and after a gun salute the mortal remains of Second-in-command of 16 Cavalry, Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh, were cremated with full military honours on Friday. He was killed when three terrorists in army fatigues opened fire in the unit's camp in Samba near Jammu on Thursday.
Major (retd) Paramjeet Singh lit the pyre of his only son, at the grim ceremony at Sector 25 crematorium, where people from all walks of society had turned up. Lt. Col. Bikramjeet Singh, who joined the Armoured Corps after passing out from the Indian Military Academy in 1998, is survived by his wife and an eight year old daughter.
Earlier draped in the National Tricolour, the coffin with Lt Col Singh's body was received at Chandi mandir Military Station, where General Officer Commanding in Chief of the Western Command, Lt Gen Philip Compose and a number of senior army and civilian dignitaries placed floral wreaths in honour of the martyred officer.
According to an official release wreaths were also laid on behalf of Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab, Chief of Army Staff, General Officer Commanding of 2nd Corps, Commander of Punjab Haryana and Himachal (I) Sub Area and Station Commander of Chandi mandir.
Former Union Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, former MP from Chandigarh, Satyapal Jain, Mayor, Subhash Chawla, Adviser to the Administrator of Union Territory of Chandigarh, K.K. Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Mohammed Shayin, public representatives from Punjab and Haryana along with serving as well as former officers of the armed forces attended the cremation.
