The mortal remains of Naik Jitendra Kumar, the PSO of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and among the 13 people killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor last week, were cremated with full military honours at his native village in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.
Naik Kumar's one-and-a-half-year old son performed the last rites while sitting in his uncle's lap, as other relatives and residents of Dhamanda village in Sehore district bid him an emotional farewell.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who paid tributes to Naik Kumar at the village before the funeral, announced a financial assistance of Rs one crore for the soldier's family, a government job for his wife, a memorial to be built for him and a school in his native place to be named after him.
The state government will also make arrangements for the education of Naik Kumar's children, the CM told reporters. Chouhan also met Kumar's family members and consoled them.
The CM, a large number of people from different parts of the district and officials were present when Kumar's mortal remains reached his native village on Sunday from the state capital Bhopal, located about 65 km from Dhamanda.
Earlier, state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang, MLA Rameshwar Sharma and senior officials of the local administration along with elected representatives paid tributes to the deceased soldier in Bhopal. Several people stood on roadsides at various places as the vehicle carrying Naik Kumar's mortal remains travelled from Bhopal to Sehore.
In Dhamanda village, residents stood on the roofs of their houses to pay respects to the departed soul. India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Lt Colonel Harjinder Singh and 10 others, including Naik Kumar, were killed in the helicopter crash in Coonoor on December 8.
“I pay tribute to Jitendra Kumar ji, who was martyred in the helicopter crash. His family will be honoured with Rs 1 crore, his wife Sunita will be given a government job, and a school will be named after Jitendra ji. A memorial will be built in the soldier's memory in Dhamanda village,” Chouhan said while talking to reporters.
Earlier on Thursday, an Army team had collected the DNA samples of Naik Kumar's family members. Later, his mortal remains were identified through DNA testing and handed over to the family members on Sunday. Kumar, who joined the Army in 2011, got married in 2014.
He is survived by his wife, four-year-old daughter Shravya, one-and a-half-year-old son Chaitanya and parents. His father Shivraj Verma is a farmer. Kumar had come to Sehore in August this year to get his daughter admitted to the Kindergarten at a private school in neighbouring Amlaha village.
The school owner, Deepak Jaiswal, has announced free education for the soldier's daughter till Class 12
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