Hours before soldier's cremation in J&K, his wife gives birth to baby girl

Banihal/Jammu: Just hours before Lance Naik Ranjeet Singh's cremation at his ancestral village Jammu and Kashmir's Ramba on Tuesday, his wife delivered their first child after ten years of marriage - a baby girl.

The soldier was among the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry personnel killed by Pakistani intruders along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Sunday.

Two infiltrators, believed to be members of the border action team, were also killed in the gunfight.

The soldier's body reached his ancestral village on Monday after a wreath-laying ceremony at Akhnoor Garrison. But due to some delay, the cremation could not take place and the family decided to perform the last rites on Tuesday morning.

Around midnight, his pregnant wife developed labour pains and was admitted to district hospital where she delivered the baby girl at around 5 am, officials said. The mother and baby were taken to the cremation. Later, the last rites of the soldier were performed with full military honours, the officials said.

"The soldier waited for 10 years for the birth of his first child but destiny had something else in store for him," Vijay Kumar, a local resident known to the family, said.

The soldier is survived by his parents, three younger sisters and brothers.