Army jawan treks through snow, carries mother's body on shoulder

SRINAGAR: Risking their lives through avalanche-prone snow covered mountains, an army man and his relatives hailing from a remote village in Karnah near the LoC in Kashmir, carried the body of his mother on their shoulders so that she could be laid to rest in her ancestral village.

Sakina Begum, mother of Mohammad Abbas, died on January 28 due to some heart-related complication at her son's official accomodation at Pathankot where he is serving in the Army.

The next day Abbas managed to get the body of his mother to Chowkibal in Kupwara district on way to his native village in Karnah, which is cut off from rest of the world due to massive accumulation of snow.

Abbas approached the District Administration of Kupwara for arranging a helicopter so that he could take his mother's body back home so that she could be laid to rest.

For five days, he waited but inclement weather did not allow operation of choppers in the area where intermittent snowfall was going on.

Finally, with the support of few relatives and villagemen, the soldier yesterday decided to trek the distance of 50 kilometres through snow-bound mountains over Sadhna Top with the body of his mother lugged over four shoulders.

The district administration officials said they had made all efforts to arrange a chopper for carrying the body of the woman to Karnah and it could be made possible only yesterday.

They said by the time a chopper was arranged, the relatives of the deceased had set off for the journey by foot.

A defence spokesman said the army had provided all assistance for transportation of mortal remains of the mother of the soldier.

"All assistance for transportation of mortal remains of mother of the soldier, keeping the weather and snow conditions in mind, was made available by the unit of the jawans as well as by other army units en route," Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.