Col Manpreet’s last words to wife echo in the grieving home: ‘abhi op mein jaa raha hoon’
The two children of the Army officer killed in Kashmir on Wednesday are still unaware about their father’s death.
4 min read
Col. Manpreet Singh who was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir. An Army major and a DySP of JKP were also killed. (PTI Photo) Early on Wednesday, Jagmeet Kaur, an economics lecturer at Government Senior Secondary School, Madana, in Morni Hills, Panchkula, made a routine phone call to her husband, Colonel Manpreet Singh. Col Manpreet, who seemed pro-occupied, had taken her call and said “Abhi operation main jaa raha hu (I am heading into an operation now).”
Col Manpreet Singh’s father-in-law Jagdev Singh Grewal (right)
Little did she know that this would be her last conversation with her husband as few hours later, the colonel was fatally injured in a gunfight with terrorists near Anantnag in Kashmir. Col Manpreet, commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, was leading his troops from the front when he was hit by a hail of bullets. He was killed along with his company commander Major Ashish Dhonchak and Kashmir Police DSP Humayun Muzamil Bhat.
The grim news of the colonel’s death reached Jagdev Singh Grewal, the 75-year-old father-in-law of the fallen hero, late Wednesday but he made the painful decision to shield his daughter from the heart-wrenching truth until Thursday morning. The news of her husband’s passing hit her like a tidal wave, and she was inconsolable.
Col Manpreet had recently reunited with his family, with wife Jagmeet and their two young children, Kabir Singh, 6, and Banni Kaur, 2, returning home just a fortnight ago after a stay in Kashmir. Telephonic conversations between the couple had been normal, and the children, too young to comprehend the gravity of the situation, sometimes spoke with their father over the phone.
Brother-in-law Rahul Grewal (centre)
“It is a huge loss to us. We had gone to the airport today morning assuming that the mortal remains of my son-in-law would arrive today. But there, we were told that the army formalities will take time. The mortal remains will reach tomorrow afternoon,” Jagdev Singh Grewal, a retired government officer from Haryana Secretariat said.
Even as the family grapples with the loss, the children, especially six-year-old Kabir, remain unaware of their father’s tragic fate. The family decided to send him to his school in Sector 26, Chandigarh as usual, sparing him the anguish that has befallen their home.
Rahul Grewal, the brother-in-law of Colonel Manpreet, reflected on the solemnity of the moment, saying, “My sister got married in 2016. It was an arranged marriage.
Col Manpreet had come home after around one month long leave three months ago. Even I used to talk with him over the phone every two days. He was a brave man. Their children are still unaware of the death of their father.”
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended upon Sector 26 as the news of this tragic loss spread. Hundreds of government school teachers, alongside local residents, have been visiting the family to offer their condolences and support. Earlier, senior army officers paid their respects to the grieving family, and District Education Officer (DEO), Satpal Kaushik, was among the few government officials from Panchkula administration who have visited the house thus far.
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