BHUBANESWAR: Odia soldier Debashish Biswal (32), martyred in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir recently, was planning to visit Odisha next month. Debashish, a native of Khandayat Sahi in Puri’s Algum panchayat, along with four others was killed in a terrorist attack on a truck in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch on Thursday. Just a day before the ambush, Debashish had told his mother Mamata he was planning to leave Jammu and Kashmir on May 10 to attend his cousin’s marriage.
“Debashish had told his mother over the telephone he would reach home on May 12 to attend his cousin’s marriage,” his aunt Pinu Biswal told The New Indian Express. He used to call his mother regularly. On some days, he used to even call her more than once, she said.
The martyred soldier had even planned to shift his younger brother from Angul to Jajpur during his visit to Odisha. “Debashish’s younger brother is working in Angul and will shift to Jajpur. Debashish had planned to help his brother shift and arrange an accommodation in Jajpur,” his cousin Sagar Biswal told the newspaper.
Sagar recalled Debashish wanted to join the Indian Army since his childhood. Debashish was very dedicated and used to exercise daily to fulfill his dream of joining the army, said Sagar.A local, Manoranjan Pradhan, said Debashish, a vegetarian, was jovial by nature. Debashish had reportedly joined the army in 2013 and his first posting was in Maharashtra. He was posted in Jammu and Kashmir as a lance naik around one-and-a-half years back.
Debashish and the four other soldiers were attached with the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and deployed for counter terrorist operations in the area. The martyred soldier is survived by his mother, father, wife and a three-month-old daughter. He had tied the knot on Akshaya Tritiya last year and the couple were blessed with a daughter on January 1, 2023.
The Indian Army’s White Knight Corps took to Twitter to salute the martyrs. “White knight Corps salutes the sacrifice of havildar Mandeep Singh, lance Naik Debashish Biswal, lance naik Kulwant Singh, sepoy Harkrishan Singh and sepoy Sewak Singh who laid down their lives in the line of duty in Poonch Sector on April 20. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families,” the tweet said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed grief over the martyrdom of Odia jawan Debashish Biswal in the terrorist attack. His sacrifices for the security of the country will always be remembered, he said. The chief minister also announced `25 lakh assistance for Biswal’s next of kin. The mortal remains of the soldier will arrive at his hometown on Saturday morning.