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'Now Kargil will fight militancy in N-E'

Prasanta Bora in Shillong

Militancy in the north-eastern states will fade in an atmosphere highly charged with patriotism evoked by Kargil martyrs from this region, according to General Officer Commanding of 101 area, Major General D K Dua.

"It is amazing to see the spontaneity of the public response in receiving the bodies of soldiers even in the states where secessionist forces have been trying since the past few decades to mobilise support in their favour,'' he said.

Talking to reporters at his office here yesterday, Major General Dua said the deaths of Captain Jintu Gogoi (Assam), Captain K C Nongrum (Meghalaya) and other soldiers from this region "have discernibly brought people together".

Major General Dua, who held the responsibility of being in constant touch with the bereaved parents of Capt Gogoi and Capt Nongrum, and kept them informed of the stupendous efforts made by the army to retrieve the bodies from the war front, said: "No greater calamity could have come to the families than the news of death of their growing sons. Yet the amount of calm and patience shown by the parents was extraordinary."

Recalling the tough moment of breaking the news of Capt Nongrum's death to his father, K Peter, he said Peter very soon composed himself and inquired about his son's colleagues from the same unit.

Capt Jintu Gogoi's father, Thagiram Gogoi, who also had to wait for his son's body for more than 11 days, showed no signs of impatience, the major general said.

"Every time I talked to him, he said he understood the problem faced by the army in bringing the body back home," Major General Dua said.

Referring to the bereaved parents, he said they were great patriots.

"They realised that the armed forces are not sparing any effort to recover the bodies," he said, adding that "in a land of patriots of such stature, insurgency can never survive".

On the contrary, the martyrdom of Capt Nongrum has inspired the youths in Meghalaya to join the armed forces, he said.

The sacrifices made by the martyrs would certainly result in the emergence of a violence-free North-East, he said.

"I am confident we are going to reap the benefits," he said.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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