The body of Indian Army soldier Naik Shankar Chandrabhan Shinde, who died on Friday in an encounter with terrorists at Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, was brought to his hometown Nashik on Sunday evening. The body of Gnr Sahadev Maruti More, who also died in the encounter, was taken to his hometown in Bijapur.
Earlier on Sunday in Srinagar, the Indian Army paid tributes to the two ‘buddies’ who laid down their lives in the encounter in which five terrorists were killed.
Naik Shinde and Gnr Sahadev were the leading scouts of the team of Army and JKP that had launched a search operation in Zonreshi Village, Chowkibal in Kupwara District on February 12. As scouts, the two bore the brunt of the attack, but despite being grievously wounded, they retaliated with fire and prevented the terrorists from firing with impunity. They continued fighting leading to the elimination of the terrorists.
Father of two
Shinde, 34, is survived by his Suvarna and two children — 6-year-old daughter Vaishnavi, and a year-and-a-half-old son Om — besides aging parents. Shinde belonged to the 11 Maratha Light Infantry Battalion, and had joined the Army in September 2000. His elder brother, also an armyman, is a JCO with 5 PARA Battalion. Shinde was known for his determination and resilience. He had also been deployed as a UN peacekeeper in South Sudan in 2012 where he discharged his duties with aplomb, the Army said in a statement. His exceptional instructional capabilities and tactical acumen had earned him the nickname ‘Master’ from his fellow soldiers.
Sahadev, 26, the youngest of three brothers, was known by his nickname ‘Maurya’. His passion for adventure led him to join the Army, and he joined the 158 Medium Regiment. His seniors appreciated his leadership qualities as he would naturally assume responsibility even during the rigorous endurance runs and other competitions during his recruitment training. Sharp in intellect and highly professional, he had already passed the potential NCO cadre within five years of service.
The mortal remains of both the soldiers were moved by the service aircraft on Sunday from Srinagar and arrived at Belgaum at 3.15pm. While Sahadev’s remain were taken to Bijapur by road, the same plane carried Shinde’s body to Ozar in Nashik.
