Birbhum soldier’s last rites performed, CM offers condolences
The Statesman | 12 October 2025He, along with another para commando from the state, lost his life while on border patrol duty after being caught in an avalanche.
Lance Naik Ghosh, a member of the Indian Army’s elite Special Forces, hailed from Kundira village in Birbhum district. From Panagarh, his coffin was taken by road to his native village, where he was cremated today with full state honours in the presence of senior police officials and Indian Army personnel.
During a high-altitude counter-terrorism operation in South Kashmir, at an elevation of around 12,000 feet, Lance Naik Sujay Ghosh made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Acting on specific intelligence, he and his team from the Special Forces set out to neutralise terrorist threats in extremely challenging terrain.
While on the mission, the team was suddenly struck by a severe blizzard and heavy snowfall, dramatically changing the situation. Undeterred by the harsh conditions, Lance Naik Ghosh took a separate, more difficult route to continue the mission — an act of extraordinary courage and selflessness.
The last visuals of the brave soldiers showed them pressing on, undaunted, into the blinding snow — resolute in their commitment to duty.
After days of relentless search operations in hostile weather, the mortal remains of the soldiers were recovered from beneath the snow. “Though the mountains claimed their physical presence, their spirit endures eternally — etched in the annals of Indian military history as symbols of bravery, service, and brotherhood,” the Indian Army said in a press release.
Lance Naik Ghosh, who had joined the Army in 2018, lost his mother when he was just four years old. His elder brother, Mritunjay Ghosh, said that Sujay had last visited home during Diwali last year and had promised to try to come again this Diwali. “A day before his death, he called to say he would be busy in a special operation for a few days. The next day, we received the devastating news from his colleagues,” said Mritunjay, his voice breaking.
“I brought him up in our mother’s absence — he was like my son. Today, I am completely shattered,” he added.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on social media, writing: “Saddened by the martyrdom of two brave para-commandos from Bengal, who succumbed while braving extreme weather during an anti-terror mission in Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir. Salute to our Lance Naik Sujay Ghosh from Birbhum and Lance Havildar Palash Ghosh from Murshidabad for their exemplary valour, dedication, and supreme sacrifice in defending our country. My heartfelt condolences to their families and friends. Our Government will extend all possible support in this hour of grief.”
