DEHRADUN: In a poignant culmination of a decades-long wait, the mortal remains of Narain Singh, a gallant soldier from Kolpudi village in Chamoli district's Tharali tehsil, finally returned to Uttarakhand on Wednesday, the last day of 'Pitru Paksha'.
The 6th Battalion of the Grenadiers, based in Rudraprayag, paid their respects to the mortal remains of Narain Singh at Gauchar Helipad. His body will subsequently be transported to Rudraprayag and then to Tharali, Kolpudi, where final rites will be performed on Thursday morning.
This emotional homecoming brings closure to a 56-year wait, honoring Singh's unwavering dedication to the nation. The remains of Narain Singh, an Indian Army's soldier of Kolpudi village, have been recovered, 56 years after he went missing. Singh was among the 102 personnel who were on board the AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force that crashed at the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh in 1968 Jaiveer Singh, village head of Kolpudi and nephew of Narain Singh, confirmed the identity of his uncle's remains.
"The army officials informed us on Monday that Narain Singh's body has been identified," Jaiveer Singh told this newspaper. "A piece of paper found in his wallet had 'Narain Singh, Gram Kolpudi' and 'Basanti Devi' written on it, while his name plate on his uniform also matched."
"The body was preserved in the snow, but it started decomposing after being retrieved," army officials informed Jaiveer Singh. "We are grateful for the army's efforts in bringing our uncle home,' Jaiveer Singh said. We are taking all necessary measures to ensure its safe transportation," officials added. "DNA samples are also being collected for further verification." According to records, Narain Singh was serving in the Army Medical Corps when he went missing.
The mortal remains of Narain Singh, returned to Gauchar on Wednesday, 56 years after his tragic demise. His funeral will take place in his native village on Thursday, with state honors. Sadly, Narain's wife, Basanti Devi, spent her life awaiting his return, only to pass away in 2011, her wait unfulfilled.
A joint team of the Indian Army's Dogra Scouts and the Tiranga Mountain Rescue recovered the remains of four Indian soldiers from Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, who were identified as Narain Singh Bisht from Uttarakhand, Munshi Ram from Haryana, Malkhan Singh from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh and Thomas Cherian from Kerala. The remains were identified through batch numbers.
