The mortal remains of two soldiers from Odisha, who were killed in a violent clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley, arrived here by a special aircraft on Thursday.
A sombre atmosphere gripped the Biju Patnaik International Airport here as the aircraft carrying the bodies of Naib Subedar Nanduram Soren of Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district and Chandrakanta Pradhan of Biarpanga in Kandhamal landed in the evening.
Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were among a galaxy of dignitaries present at the airport to pay their last tributes to the jawans, who laid down their lives for the country's sovereignty and integrity.
Lal and Patnaik paid floral tributes and placed wreaths on the tricolour-wrapped caskets containing the mortal remains of Pradhan (28) and Soren (43) as officials and personnel of the three services -- Army, Air Force and Navy -- were present at the airport.
Among those present at the airport were several state ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and distinguished personalities. A guard of honour was presented as a mark of respect to the two brave soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice in the Ladakh face-off.
Hailing their sacrifice for the motherland, the chief minister had announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 25 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the next of kin of the slain soldiers on Wednesday.
The bodies were later taken to their native tribal villages in Kandhamal and Mayurbhanj districts by separate ambulances, with people holding up the tricolour and showering flowers on the vehicles en route.
People from different walks of life and members of socio-cultural and other organisations paid floral tributes to the slain jawans, who were serving in the 16 Bihar Regiment. Holding up the tricolour, they raised slogans such as "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram".
Soren and Pradhan were among the 20 Indian soldiers who were killed in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night during a fierce clash with Chinese troops, in the first such incident involving fatalities after 45 years, marking a massive escalation in the five-week border standoff in the sensitive region.
Soren, who leaves behind his wife and three school-going daughters, had joined the Army in 1997. Pradhan, who was unmarried, had joined the Army in 2014.
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