The other Siachen victim: Villagers unhappy with govt

People of Tejuru village have accused the Hassan district administration of not sharing information about when the body of Subedar T T Nagesh, one of the 10 soldiers who died in an avalanche in Siachen Glacier last week, would be brought down to his native village.

Holding a banner with a portrait of Nagesh, the villagers demanded what arrangements had been made for the funeral. Although Deputy Commissioner Umesh Kusugal and Tahsildar Manjunath V had visited the soldier’s house a few days after the incident, they “failed” to assure his family about the arrangements for his last rites.

Kusugal was not in office when the villagers arrived. Hassan MLA, H S Prakash, visited the spot and spoke to the villagers. He called the deputy commissioner to office. Kusugal arrived around 12.15 pm.

Pacifying the agitators, the deputy commissioner said the officials were in constant touch with the Army authorities. He said he had served in the Army for 22 years and was aware of the formalities. The Army will inform the Hassan district administration at least six hours before the body is airlifted from Siachen.

Kusugal assured them that the administration had made all necessary arrangements. The body would be kept near the deputy commissioner’s office in Hassan to enable the public to pay their last respects to Nagesh. The tahsildar will personally brief the family about the funeral arrangements.

In Tejuru, Nagesh’s family is anxiously awaiting his body. His two sons have not attended school since his death. The condition of his wife Asha is unstable. She is his niece. He has six sisters and two brothers. Another of Nagesh’s niece, Shruthi, said he was the only person who was educated in the family.

February 12 was the birthday of Nagesh’s son Preetham. When Nagesh had visited the village five months ago, he promised to gift him a bicycle. Learning about the incident in the media, a senior citizen from Holenarasipur visited the village and offered to present a bicycle to Preetham.

Expecting the arrival of the body anytime, villagers have voluntarily made preparations for the funeral at Nagesh’s farm near Tejuru lake.

Mysuru village awaits soldier’s body

People of Pashupathi, the native village of Sepoy P N Mahesha, one of the three soldiers from Karnataka who died in an avalanche at Siachen Glacier last week, are unhappy that the Mysuru district administration hasn’t made arrangements for his funeral.  Mahesha’s sister Yogamani said the authorities had not provided any information about the arrival of the body, though they had visited the village and collected necessary information.

Mahesha’s relative P N Dinesh told Deccan Herald that the soldier would be buried near his father’s grave in the village. Youths in the village have voluntarily cleaned the place for the funeral and expressed unhappiness that the authorities hadn’t made arrangements for the last rites despite being informed about the burial place. A source said the body would arrive on Saturday.