11-21-2003, 11:10 PM
Major martyred, his family doesnât flinch
Friday November 21 2003 10:16 IST
PANCHKULA: "Ufff..." That one word brings home the agony 19-year-old Namish is going through. It was a moan that started early on Thursday morning, much before the Vats learnt that their elder son Major Navneet Vats was no more.
ââItâs like our younger son had a telepathic connection with Navneet,ââ says the Majorâs mother, Vichitra Veena, displaying amazing composure while relatives stream in with condolences at their house in Sector 4, Panchkula.
ââHe would get excited a day before Navneet was to come home and cry bhaiya, bhaiya. On Thursday, all that heâs been saying is âuffffâ,ââ she says. Namish is mentally-challenged.
Maj Vats died in Srinagar on Thursday after six bullets ripped through his body, piercing the point where the plates of his bullet proof vest joined. ââWhat has happened has happened. It could have happened anywhere. He has served the nation, done his bit and gone forever. It cannot be undone,ââ sighs the brave mother.
Equally brave, the young Majorâs wife Shivani, married to him in 1999, keeps her composure holding her three-year-old daughter Inayat.
Niraj Vats, the Majorâs father, swallows as he says: ââWe had always thought that after we are gone, our elder son will take care of the younger one. Now, we donât know what will happen to him after us.ââ
Around 6.15 in the morning, Major Vats and a soldier of the 32 Rashtriya Rifles lost his life in the 48-hour encounter with militants in Srinagar.
Navneetâs brother-in-law Major Alok Dutt of the Armoured Corps, who had rushed in from Nabha, said Navneet was known for leading soldiers into battle from the front.
Friday November 21 2003 10:16 IST
PANCHKULA: "Ufff..." That one word brings home the agony 19-year-old Namish is going through. It was a moan that started early on Thursday morning, much before the Vats learnt that their elder son Major Navneet Vats was no more.
ââItâs like our younger son had a telepathic connection with Navneet,ââ says the Majorâs mother, Vichitra Veena, displaying amazing composure while relatives stream in with condolences at their house in Sector 4, Panchkula.
ââHe would get excited a day before Navneet was to come home and cry bhaiya, bhaiya. On Thursday, all that heâs been saying is âuffffâ,ââ she says. Namish is mentally-challenged.
Maj Vats died in Srinagar on Thursday after six bullets ripped through his body, piercing the point where the plates of his bullet proof vest joined. ââWhat has happened has happened. It could have happened anywhere. He has served the nation, done his bit and gone forever. It cannot be undone,ââ sighs the brave mother.
Equally brave, the young Majorâs wife Shivani, married to him in 1999, keeps her composure holding her three-year-old daughter Inayat.
Niraj Vats, the Majorâs father, swallows as he says: ââWe had always thought that after we are gone, our elder son will take care of the younger one. Now, we donât know what will happen to him after us.ââ
Around 6.15 in the morning, Major Vats and a soldier of the 32 Rashtriya Rifles lost his life in the 48-hour encounter with militants in Srinagar.
Navneetâs brother-in-law Major Alok Dutt of the Armoured Corps, who had rushed in from Nabha, said Navneet was known for leading soldiers into battle from the front.