"I got a call at 6.15 pm. The officer asked me if I was Mandeep Singh's wife. He asked me if any other family members or children are around. I sensed something was wrong. I told the officer that I am brave and he can tell me whatever it is. He said that Sardar Mandeep Singh has been killed in an attack. I could not believe him as I had spoken to my husband at 12:00 pm," said Jagdeep Kaur, the wife of slain Army jawan Havaldar Mandeep Singh (39) who was martyred after an army vehicle was ambushed in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on Thursday, 20 April.
Her house in Chankoian Kalan village in Punjab’s Ludhiana has been flooded by relatives and visitors ever since the news of Mandeep Singh's martyrdom spread.
The women in the house are trying their best to console Mandeep's mother Balwinder Kaur (68). "Na ro, Mandeep mara ni, shaheed hoyasi (Don't cry, Mandeep has not died, he has been martyred)," they tell her constantly.
Mandeep was one of the five jawans martyred after the army vehicle they were travelling in was attacked and caught fire due to the grenades hurled at it by terrorists "who took advantage of rains and low visibility," the Army said in a statement.
Remembered as an inspiration to the local youth, Mandeep's death has not just shocked his own village, but many across the neighbouring villages who followed his footsteps to pursue a career in the Army.
The Last Few Calls With Family Members
Eldest of three brothers and the sole breadwinner for a joint family of 10, Jagdeep is worried for her two children — daughter, Khushdeep Kaur (11) and son Karandeep (9).
Mandeep's late father was once the sarpanch of the village.
Jagdeep had a video call for over 30 minutes with Mandeep at around 12:00 pm. "I was happy that they were talking. I didn't speak much. He video regularly video call everyone, especially my grand daughter," Mandeep's mother said.
Mandeep's uncle and mentor Jasvir Singh, a former soldier himself, too spoke to Mandeep hours before his death. He, too, recalled his last call with Mandeep.
"Somebody told him that there were hailstorms in parts of Punjab. He called me out of concern for the crops of the village. I told him everything was fine here," he said.
"He then spoke to his wife for about half an hour on video call and then called his brother around 1:00 pm. He said that he will be going out to get essentials with a few other jawans. They had travelled hardly two kilometers when the ambush happened," he said.
'He Would Wear My Uniform as a Child'
An inconsolable Jasvir recalled how Mandeep joined the Army "to serve the nation."
"I am a retired Army officer. Whenever I went back home after taking leave, he would try on my uniform as a child. 'I will also become a fauji,' he would say. I was posted in Samba at the time. After he was done with Class 12, I ensured he gets trained. He was inducted into the Army in 2005," a teary-eyed Jasvir Singh told The Quint over the phone.
"As a student, he was calm and disciplined. He would take up challenges and was dedicated towards his training," Jasvir Singh said, remembering Mandeep's younger days.
Since 2005, Mandeep was posted at multiple places, including Firozpur, Arunachal Pradesh, Dalhousie, and Poonch, Jasvir said.
'Believer of Upliftment Via Education, Inspired Local Youth'
Mandeep was a staunch believer of upliftment via education and had inculcated the same values in his children, Jasvir said.
"He wanted his children to get the best possible education. He wanted his daughter to become a district magistrate and his son an Army officer just like him. He always encouraged them to get as higher education as they want. He ensured that he gets his children admitted in the best school here," Jasvir recalled.
Calling him a very "social person," Jasvir said that Mandeep was an inspiration for many not just in his village, but also the neighbouring villages.
"There are three-four villages today that have landed at his place to pay respects. He inspired many around him to join the Army. Just a few months back, three youth have managed to get into the Army following in his footsteps. He would give them tips for training whenever he would visit here on a holiday," Jasvir said.
'Peaceful Dialogue Can Stop This. Don't the Terrorists Have Families...?'
A former Army officer himself, Jasvir reflected on the constant killings of jawans in the valley and said that the deaths won't stop till "anti-social elements" in Kashmir don't stop supporting terrorism.
"We have hopes from the government. The authorities have been visiting but it should not become the usual case where they forget about the family ten days later. The politicians never look back, they even forget the names of the martyrs in a few days. They only shed tears when an incident takes place and forget everything later," Jasvir said.
Worried for her children's future, Jagdeep said that the "massacres" of jawans in the valley can be stopped only via peaceful dialogue
"Those who have done this with us have parents too. My children are fatherless now, they must have children too. This should be stopped. We can sort this with discussions so that more families don’t lose their sons and husbands and more children are not rendered fatherless," she said.
"I pray for him. He never lost faith. I hope his sacrifice for the Army is worth it. My kids have lost him forever. He was the only breadwinner in the family and now God has taken him away," Jagdeep said.
(With inputs from Neeraj Singh.)
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