Soldier cremated with full military honours

Parbhani: The last rites of a 21-year-old soldier of the Indian Army, who recently called home to inform the parents of his arrival in a couple of days, was performed with military honours in his village here on Thursday.

Sepoy Shubham Suryakant Mustapure died in Pakistani shelling at forward posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

“Shubham recently called his parents and informed them he will be coming home in two days. Today we received his body draped in the tricolour,” a relative of the soldier said.

Mustapure’s mortal remains reached his village Konerwadi in Parbhani district early on Thursday by road from Aurangabad, where it arrived by a flight on Wednesday evening.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rent the air as his remains were consigned to the flames in the presence of a large number of mourners from his village and nearby areas.

Among those present at the cremation was Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Babanrao Lonikar.

Mustapure is survived by his parents and grandparents and two younger brothers. His father is a farmer while one brother studies in Gangakhed in Parbhani district and the other studies at Ahmedpur in Latur district, the kin said.