Slain Army jawan cremated after Home Minister calls up family

The mortal remains of Army jawan Neeraj Kumar, killed in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir on August 24, were today consigned to flames at his native Devrala village here after Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the brother of the slain jawan over phone.

Alleging apathy on the part of government and political leadership, the family members of the slain Rashtriya Rifles jawan had last evening threatened that they would not cremate the body unless Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Defence Minister Arun Jaitley or Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited the village for it.

BJP MP Mahesh Sharma, who was present at the village, arranged the talks between the slain jawan's brother and the Home Minister. On assurance by Singh that he would soon visit the village and meet the family members, the body was finally consigned to flames with full military honours.

Meanwhile, Granadier Rahul Kumar, who was killed in a separate encounter in Jammu and Kashmir, was cremated at his native Bhapur village in the district in early morning today.

BJP MP Bhola Singh and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhry, son of former Union Minister Ajit Singh, were present at the cremation.