When Gangadhar Doloi was selected as a sepoy in the Indian Army in 2014, his poverty-stricken family in Howrah was overjoyed. Two years later, Gangadhar was among the 18 soldiers killed in a fidayeen attack on an Army camp in Uri in September 2016.
His younger brother Barun was the first in the family to receive the devastating news. Days after the India’s action against terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan, The Indian Express spoke to families of security personnel killed in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir through the last few years – including the ones in Uri and Pulwama.
“No one wants war, but sometimes it is necessary to teach a lesson to the enemy,” Barun Doloi told The Indian Express. “The steps taken are absolutely right. We don’t want war, but we are being forced into it by our neighbours. If the country just sat back, terrorists would continue killing the innocent.”
Gangadhar’s mother, Sita Doloi, recalled the moment the coffin arrived. Speaking in a choked voice, she said, “I remember that day… The coffin arrived. Before the attack, he had said he would come home in six months to cook his favourite dishes. The government has now done what it should have done earlier. Maybe the Pahalgam attack wouldn’t have happened if these steps were taken sooner. I’m happy now – stern steps have been taken, and more should follow to eradicate terrorism. So many mothers have lost sons, wives their husbands, and children their fathers.”
Onkarnath Doloi, Gangadhar’s father, said that since the Pahalgam attack, the family has been glued to the television.
“I lost my 27-year-old son (in the 2018 Uri attack), but I have no regrets — his blood was not shed in vain. He died for his country,” he said.
He too believes India made the right call. “The prime minister visiting the Air Force Station in Adampur has boosted the morale of the armed forces,” he said.
Banamala Santra, whose 39-year-old son Bablua was one of the 40 CRPF jawans killed in the 2019 Pulwama attack, recalls his struggles. Bablua, who had only one year of service to go when he was killed, joined the CRPF as a havildar in 2000.
For the family, nothing can bring back what they lost. “I support the government, I thank them, but only a mother knows what she has lost. Nothing can replace that,” she said.
It’s a sentiment Bablua’s wife Mita echoes.
“I lost my husband in Pulwama. If someone comes and kills my loved ones, I will fight back and that is what the government has done… For us, it (the incident) was deeply traumatic. We still don’t talk about it. My daughter remembers vaguely, but we avoid the topic altogether,” she says.
On May 10, after three days of escalating cross-border tensions that led to shelling and drone attacks between India and Pakistan, the two countries announced a ceasefire. That move too elicited a wide range of emotions. Rakesh Prasad, brother of BSF Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad – killed by a sniper in Jammu and Kashmir 10 days before the Pulwama attack – has vehemently opposed the move,
“India shouldn’t have agreed. We weren’t in favour of war, but sometimes the enemy must be shown our strength. My brother was one of the many who died. What happened in Pahalgam was a direct challenge. It’s time to take PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) back. Pakistan announced the ceasefire out of compulsion, not goodwill,” he said.