BETADUR (DHARWAD) : “I stand with the Indian Army and their operations. It’s a fitting reply to our enemy nation and now we have made them (Pakistan) think twice before sending the infiltrators into our land,” said Mahadevi, widow of Siachen martyr Hanumanthappa Koppad.
Mahadevi lives at Betadur village, 18 km from Hubballi city, with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Netra.
When Koppad was buried at his village, Mahadevi had taken a vow to put her daughter into forces.
Koppad became a talk of the nation after he was found alive under the ice mount at Siachen while his nine colleagues of 19 Madras Regiment died. He died at the Army Hospital in New Delhi five days after the tragic incident. His story became an inspiration to many and thousands of people thronged his native village during his funeral.
“I cannot say how my martyred husband could have reacted to the ongoing situation, but I stand by the Indian Army and its operations. My husband asked us to avoid watching news, so that we don’t get tensed about the developments in the border. But since his death, we follow the developments,” she said.
“What happened in Uri is shocking. I can very well understand the pain of the family members, who lost their dear ones in terror attack on the camp. We must retaliate in whatever possible way,” Mahadevi said.
When Koppad passed away, hundreds of offers were made to the family, especially to Mahadevi and her daughter. However, the government is yet to fulfil some of its promises. A grant of `25 lakh and a site have been given to Mahadevi, but it did not come easy. “We are from Army families and are ready to give our life to the country, if required. We cannot beg from anyone,” she said.