By IANS,
New Delhi : The mortal remains of the four Indians, including two diplomats, who were killed in the horrific terror attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, were consigned to the flames in different parts of the country Tuesday after being flown here from the Afghan capital.
The body of India’s defence attaché in Afghanistan, Brigadier Ravi Datt Mehta, was cremated Tuesday with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in the capital, where too the body of press counsellor V. Venkateswara Rao was cremated later in the day.
The bodies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel Roop Singh and Ajai Pathania, who were on guard duty at the embassy, were cremated in their respective home towns of Hoshiarpur and Pathankot.
The bodies of the victims were flown in here this morning from Kabul in an Indian Air Force (IAF) Il-76 transport aircraft.
At Brar Square, a 13-gun salute boomed out as Indian Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor led the large number of mourners, who included Mehta’s family and his parents, in paying tribute to the departed soul.
Draped in the tricolour, the coffin bearing Mehta’s body was brought to the crematorium as buglers played the Last Post and thousands braved the rains to pay their tribute to Mehta, who was posted to Afghanistan in February.
The national flag was then carefully folded and handed over, along with Mehta’s cap, to his family, which till then had maintained a remarkably calm composure.
The family however, broke down as the funeral ceremonies commenced and the slain officer’s son, Flight Lieutenant Udit Mehta, a fighter pilot with the IAF, lit the pyre.
Earlier, wreaths were placed on Mehta’s body on behalf of President Pratibha Patil, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekar, Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, and the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Hardev Lidder, were among those present on the occasion.
“My father was a great hero,” Mehta’s son Udit told reporters after the ceremony concluded.
“He will always be my hero. He made the country proud. I will always cherish his memory,” he added.
The Defence Advisor of the British High Commission here, Brigadier Clive Elderton, also paid his tribute to Mehta, who had studied with him at the National Defence College here.
“He was a capable officer. The attack has only reinforced our (Britain’s) commitment in eliminating those who can damage the security and stability in the region,” Elderton said.
Late in the afternoon, Rao’s body draped in a tricolour was brought to Brar Square and cremated with full state honours.
As his teenaged son Aniket recited from the Hindu scriptures, his wife Malathi fought back her tears. Moments after lighting the pyre Aniket and his sister hugged Malathi for succour and support.
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma termed Rao’s death a great loss and “an illustrious career cut short”.
“It has been a ferocious act of terrorism. We have lost an able officer and no words are enough to provide succour to the bereaved family. It is a sacrifice for the nation. We condemn the terror act in the strongest possible words,” Sharma said.
Rao, a 1990 batch IFS officer, had served in Berlin, Colombo, Kathmandu and Washington before being posted to Kabul.
His death in the car bomb attack Monday morning came as a “huge shock” to diplomats as this was probably the first time an Indian diplomat had died in a major terrorist attack.
All his batchmates and colleagues in the ministry of external affairs descended at the crematorium to pay their tribute to Rao.
Sharma reiterated that the attack will not stop the reconstruction work undertaken by India in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
“It is a grim reminder of the damage posed by the forces of terror. Our officers are posted in Afghanistan in rebuilding the country, which has suffered at the hands of Taliban. We remain committed to help rebuilding it,” Sharma said.