48 years after death, soldier’s remains consigned to flames

AGOCHAR - Forty-eight years after an unsung soldier of the Indian Army was killed in the Sino-Indian war, his mortal remains - found in Arunachal Pradesh this month - were consigned to flames with military honours in this village Thursday.

“The remains of sepoy (soldier) Karam Chand of 4 Dogra Regiment were consigned to the flames with full military honours in his hometown of Agochar,” an army official told IANS here.

The remains were brought to an army unit close to this village in Kangra district Wednesday where the unit held a function to remember the martyr.

Karam Chand was just 21 when he died after being hit by a mortar shell fired by the Chinese Army Oct 23, 1962, near Walong in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh.

He was perhaps buried along with his military uniform as the battle went on for days together - some 200 Indian army soldiers were killed, with the Chinese army capturing Walong.

Sometime in the first week of this month, Border Road Task Force (BRTF) personnel engaged in clearing a road blocked by a massive landslide near Walong stumbled upon his remains dating back to the war.

After four days of intense digging, Karam Chand’s personal belongings, his identity discs, a silver ring, a dilapidated cover of his pay book and a fountain pen were also recovered.

“The badge bearing PIS No.3950976 was later confirmed to be that of Sepoy Karam Chand whose name figures in the list of martyrs,” the army said.

Jaswant Singh, the soldier’s nephew who is settled in this village, said: “After the war, my grandfather K.S. Katoch kept waiting for his son and finally passed away.”

He said Katoch died in 1985 and his wife Gaytri Devi in 1990.