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This is an archive article published on April 21, 2023

Poonch terror attack: ‘How many more,’ asks wife of slain Ludhiana soldier Mandeep Singh

Jagdeep Kaur said that her husband Havildar Mandeep Singh, who was among the 5 Armymen who died in the terror attack in J&K’s Poonch, had spoken to her a few hours before the incident.

poonch attack in jammu and kashmirMandeep had last spoken to his wife on Thursday, a few hours before the incident, and had enquired about his children, as usual. A few hours later, his family was informed about his death. (Express/Sourced)
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Poonch terror attack: ‘How many more,’ asks wife of slain Ludhiana soldier Mandeep Singh
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Among the five Army soldiers who died in the terror attack in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday was Havildar Mandeep Singh (39) from Chankoian Kalan village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.

Mandeep is survived by mother Balwinder Kaur, wife Jagdeep Kaur, daughter Khushdeep Kaur (11) and son Karandeep Singh (9). Mandeep’s father, the late Roop Singh, was a former sarpanch of the village.

Speaking to The Indian Express, an inconsolable Jagdeep said that she was proud of her husband’s sacrifice for the country but these killings of soldiers at the hands of terrorists on the borders need to stop. “I am extremely proud of my husband’s sacrifice for the country but I want to ask the government, how many more? For how long will we keep losing our men at the borders? Why can’t things be resolved with talks? How many more like me will be widowed and how many more mothers will lose their sons? I don’t want this to happen to any other woman,” she said.

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Jagdeep said that her husband wanted the best education for their children and she will ensure that his dream is fulfilled. “He wanted both our children to get the best education. I request the government to ensure that both my children, who have lost their father too early in their lives, get the best education,” she said.

Mandeep had last spoken to his wife on Thursday, a few hours before the incident, and had enquired about his children, as usual. A few hours later, his family was informed about his death.

His uncle Jasvir Singh said that the villagers want a government school and a hospital in Mandeep’s name and said that it would be the best tribute to his sacrifice.

“He had joined the Army not just because of passion but also to improve the financial condition of his family. His younger brother is a daily wager and the family is hand-to-mouth. They do not have any agricultural land. We urge the government to think and do everything possible for the future of his children now,” Jasvir said.

Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on “Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers” had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab.       ... Read More

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