Thousands bid tearful farewell to Uri martyrs in Bengal villages

Kolkata: Thousands assembled in two villages of West Bengal on Tuesday to bid a tearful adieu to two army jawans from the state who died in the terrorist attack on the Uri camp in Jammu and Kashmir two days back.

A large crowd of mourners gathered at the Jamuna Balia village in Howrah district to witness the last rites of Sepoy Gangadhar Dolui.

People from all nearby villages turned up at Jamuna Balia where the cortege arrived early on Tuesday morning escorted by army personnel.

Amid full state honours, the last rites were performed in the village crematorium.

The bugle played the mourning tune, as the army personnel marched slowly and reversed their guns and gave their martyred colleague a gun salute.

Dolui's relatives and villagers recalled his love for the Indian army.

"It was a dream-come-true for him when he got inducted in the army," said a villager.

Heart-rending scenes were seen at Sagar Island, where Sepoy Biswajit Gorai's mortal remains were consigned to flames after a ceremonial gun salute.

Earlier the body was brought by an army helicopter.

Gorai's grieving mother became unconscious during the ceremony. His father wanted the government to avenge his son's death. "They should treat my son's death as murder," he said. 

Fire Services Minister Sovon Chatterjee, representing the state government at the funeral, proposed a temporary fire brigade station should be named after Gorai.