The last rites of 25-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Deepak Chingakham, who was killed in a drone strike carried out by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, were performed with full state honours at Yairipok Yambem in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Tuesday evening.
Constable (General Duty) Deepak Chingakham of the 7th Battalion, BSF, succumbed to injuries on May 11 sustained during the drone attack in the RS Pura sector a day earlier. His mortal remains arrived at Imphal airport around 1.30pm in a coffin draped in the Tricolour on an Air India flight.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the airport, where Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, along with senior officials from the BSF, Manipur Police, the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, the state government and political leaders, paid tribute to the fallen soldier. He is survived by his parents and a younger brother.
The mortal remains of Deepak Chingakham at the Imphal airport on Tuesday
The body was taken from the airport in Imphal West to Deepak’s residence in Yairipok Yambem, Imphal East — about 38km away — where a massive crowd gathered along the route and at his home to pay their respects.
Cries of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Long Live Manipur” echoed along the procession route, reflecting the state’s collective grief and gratitude for Deepak’s service and sacrifice, said a local resident.
Former chief minister N. Biren Singh also visited the bereaved family to offer condolences.
The Manipur government has announced ₹10 lakh in financial assistance for Deepak’s family under the Major Laishram Jyotin Singh Ashok Chakra (P) Scheme, which supports families of martyrs. The BSF has offered a job to Deepak’s younger brother, as the jawan was the family’s sole breadwinner.
“I feel proud of my son. He sacrificed his life for the nation,” Deepak’s father said, struggling through grief as he received the coffin at the
airport.
Deepak is the first casualty from the Indian side in Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 by the armed forces to destroy terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
Indian Air Force Corporal Tage Hailyang from Arunachal Pradesh was among those killed in the Pahalgam attack, prior to Deepak’s death during the retaliatory operation.