Agniveer soldier Ajay Singh, killed in a landmine blast near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, came from an underprivileged background with his father a daily wage labourer and mother a domestic help.
Survived by his parents and six sisters, his family had high hopes from him.
A daily wage labourer Charanjit Singh Kala and his wife Manjit Kaur alias Laxmi, a domestic help, live with their daughters in a one-room house at Ramgarh Sardaran village of Payal division in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. The family does not have any agricultural land. One of his sisters said, “My brother wanted to join the force and serve the nation. He was a pillar of support for us.” Kala’s son Ajay Singh joined the Army as an Agniveer in 2022.
Ajay Singh was killed and another two soldiers suffered injuries in a landmine blast near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday. The troops were patrolling the forward area in Nowshera sector when the explosion occurred.
Inconsolable over Ajay’s demise, Charanjit Singh Kala (58) sought that his son’s sacrifice deserves the same respect as given to other soldiers. “Ohnu vi shaheed da darja milna chahida hai (He also deserves the status of a martyr). We are proud of his sacrifice for the country, but his death merits equal respect as other non-Agniveer soldiers.”
Highlighting the family’s impoverished state, Charanjit revealed that Ajay’s mother continued working as domestic help even after he had joined army to sustain the household. “I worked as a labourer for my entire life. After I started keeping unwell, Ajay’s mother started working in others’ homes to cook and clean so that we could have two meals a day,” he shared.
Being Agniveer, he might not receive the same benefits as other soldiers.
Charanjit Singh Kala explained, “We had taken some loan for the marriage of our four daughters. After clearing class-12 from a local government school, Ajay had also worked as a construction labourer for some time, but as soon as the Agniveer vacancies opened, he immediately applied for it. He said it was his dream to experience life as a soldier, even if for four years.”
Actually, he always wanted to serve the nation by joining the Army, he said.
Ajay’s paternal uncle, Balwinder Singh expressed concern that it would be an injustice if the Centre fails to support the family.
“In view of financial condition of Ajay’s family, we hope that the Punjab government will give them at least Rs 1 crore as compensation and the Centre will also consider its decision to give proper benefits to families of deceased Agniveers”, he added.
Meanwhile Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday expressed grief over the death of Ajay Singh. In a statement, he said, “Agniveer Ajay Singh, who hailed from village Ramgarh Sardaran near Khanna (Ludhiana), attained martyrdom in a landmine blast”.
The brave jawan laid down his life while performing his duty valiantly, Mann said, adding the Punjab government is with his family at this tragic hour.
Monetary assistance will be extended to the bereaved family according to the policy of the state government, he said.