A hero remembered fondly...

Binoy Valsan, The Statesman

JAIPUR, July 23: Three year old Rudra Pratap Singh is too young to fathom the fact that he will have to struggle for the rest of his life to recollect the memories of his father Major Bhanu Pratap Singh, who embraced martyrdom in a gun battle with militants in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. His mother Sarika Singh on the other hand will be battling for the rest of her life to make her peace with the memories of the same man who was her pillar of strength as a husband, friend and soulmate for the past four years.

Sarika was at her maternal home in Gwalior where she is pursuing her studies and dotting on her son when her father told her of her fate. “Rudra has not yet understood the fact that his father is no more, while Sarika does not want to come to terms with it. Bhanu was a loving father, husband and a son-in-law who respected me like his own father. I was proud that my daughter got married to him,” said Surat Singh Rajawat, Major Bhanu Pratap's father-in-law.

Major Bhanu Pratap Singh from Churu district in Rajasthan breathed his last after taking multiple bullet-hits in a pre-dawn cordon and search operation in Kunda area of Thana Mandi Tehsil last Sunday. He was leading a joint search patrol of army and Special Operations Group of the J&K police to flush out a group of alleged LeT militants which resulted in the fatal gun battle. According to his family members and friends, Major Bhanu Pratap Singh was determined to have a career in the army and had cleared the Combined Defence Services (CDS) thrice before he got himself enlisted in 2001 when he finally managed to convince his mother Mrs Padma Kanwar who was apprehensive about the safety of her son.

According to his uncle, Bhanu Pratap had been transferred out of 43 Rashtriya Rifles and was waiting to hand over the charge when he set out on his last mission. "He had cleared the exam twice but then his mother was against his decision so he even went for IAS coaching for a few months. But then he once again sat for the Army exam and cleared it. He was also able to convince his mother but now it seems her worst fear came true,” said Jai Singh, Major Bhanu Pratap's uncle. The inspiration to serve the society and the country was instilled in Bhanu Pratap from a very young age since his father RS Rathore Singh who is presently serving as the Additional Superintendent Police of Bharatpur in Rajasthan. Even this seasoned policeman has buckled under the weight of his son's death and is silently brooding inside his residence in Shyam Nagar here in Jaipur where relatives, friends and well wishers are trickling in to share the family's grief. "The news was first conveyed to his father and has left him completely shattered. Though I married his sister I haven't spend much time with him because of his duties. The first thing that comes to my mind is that he always had a smile on his face,” said Mr Lokmanshu Mansingh, his brother-in-law who has come down to Jaipur from Delhi.

Major Bhanu Pratap Singh's body is expected to reach Jaipur late evening today and will be given a military cremation tomorrow. In the meantime friends, relatives and neighbours are arriving at their residence to share the grief of the brave soldier who did not hesitate to sacrifice his life even for the sake of his loving wife and three year old son who were waiting for him at home.