Would send to Army if I had another son: Slain soldier's mother

The mother of Captain Kapil Kundu, one of the four soldiers killed in Pakistani shelling in Jammu and Kashmir, said on Monday that she was anguished over the killings but if she had another son, she would have asked him to join the Army.

Sunita Kundu, 52, said her son always lived for the nation and was very happy after joining the Army.

"We urge the government to conduct more surgical strikes on Pakistan to avenge the deaths of martyrs. Had my son lived for another 15-20 years, he would have done more for his nation," said Sunita.

Kundu was just six days short of his 23rd birthday on February 10. He was killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Sunday evening along with three other soldiers -- Riflemen Ramavatar, 28, Subham Singh, 22, and Havilder Roshan Lal, 42.

The Pakistan Army fired five or six anti-tank guided missiles, at least one of which hit the bunker in which the soldiers were positioned.

"I had spoken to Kapil (Kundu) around 1 p.m. on Sunday over phone. He said that everything was fine and he would be visiting home to give a surprise to our mother on his birthday," said Sonia, the elder sister of the slain officer.

His family lives in Ransika village near Pataudi, some 33 km from Gurugram, in Haryana.

Kundu joined the army after making it through the National Defence Academy (NDA).

According to his cousin Tarif Kundu, Captain Kundu loved writing poetry and was hailed as a hero by youngsters from nearby villages.

"Kapil (Kundu) had a tough life. He lost his father Lalaram to heart attack on his birthday in 2012. Now, we are waiting for the body of braveheart," Tariif told IANS. The body is to arrive late on Monday.

On Facebook, Captain Kundu had posted this quote as his favourite: "Run. If you cannot, then walk. If you cannot, then crawl. But do not stop until you achieve your goal."

Mourning the death of Kundu, many people on social media shared fragments of his life and paid moving tributes. A poem in Hindi, apparently the last written by him, was widely circulated on WhatsApp.

Kundu is survived by his mother and sisters Sonia and Kajal.

--IANS

pradeep/qd/rn