Army Chief visits martyr Sudhakar's family

"I have come here to salute the sacrifice of brave soldier Sudhakar Singh Baghel," General Singh told reporters after he met the martyred soldier's family during his two-hour visit.

The COAS met Baghel's wife, Durga Singh and told her that her husband was a "lion" and wished that their son joined the Army.

The General also told Durga she could approach him directly anytime if she faced any problem. He also brought along with him a job appointment letter for Sudhakar's elder brother Satyendra Singh in the Jaypee Cement factory here.

Asked why the Indian Army was not taking any retaliatory action against the Pakistani Army, the General said he did not want to answer any political questions.

"I am fully satisfied that the Indian Army is deployed with full alertness along the LoC," he said.

Baghel's family has so far received around Rs 65 lakh out of which Rs 44 lakh has been given by the Army, Rs five lakh by the Minister of State for Defence, Jitendra Singh and Rs 15 lakh from the Madhya Pradesh government.

The Army Chief said a recruitment rally in the name of the soldier will be held in Sidhi district in July this year.

Earlier, the Army Chief was received at Sidhi by Lt.Gen Anil Chait who is the Commanding Officer of Central Zone, Lucknow and Sidhi Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharmendra Choudhary among others.

On January 8, Pakistan Army regulars had infiltrated inside Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and killed and mutilated the bodies of Lance Naiks Sudhakar Singh and Hemraj Singh.