The funeral of Captain SK Chowdhary will take place in Kathua near Jammu on Tuesday. Chowdhary, whose name figured in the Republic Day awards, was killed in a gun battle with militants in Assam just a day after he was awarded the Sena medal for bravery.

As the Tricolour-wrapped coffin arrived at the air force station at Chabua, to be taken to the slain officer’s home in Jammu on a special flight, his colleagues found it hard to believe how quickly things had changed. Only yesterday, the soldiers and officers at the army’s Kopahtoli base in Tinsukia district were celebrating Capt. Choudhary’s feat — the news of his being awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on Republic Day had just come through. Almost simultaneously came the information of a few Ulfa militants hiding in a village not far from the base. As always, the captain was quick to swing into battle mode and was the first to reach the scene of action, followed by troops of the Gorkha Regiment.

It was Capt. Choudhary’s last counter-insurgency operation. He was shot in the neck shortly after felling a rebel.

Today, under a weeping sky, soldiers gave the captain a guard of honour with moist eyes.

Col Pramit Saxena, commanding officer of the 7/11 Gorkha Rifles, sounded both grief-stricken and proud.

The 27-year-old was to get married shortly and had even applied for leave. His father, a Lt Colonel could barely hide his emotion.

”I got to know at about 3 pm. I am going to Kathua. He has done me proud. He said, ‘Daddy you will be proud of me’, He did that and left, he got the sena medal on 26th January and on 27th this has happened,” said Lt Col PD Chowdhary, Father of Capt SK Chowdhary.

The body was flown in a special Air Force plane to Pathankote from where it was taken to Kathua, his native village in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Captain will be cremated with full military honours and it’s not just his family that’s in grief.

”We are proud of him. He has done his country proud. He martyred himself for his country and us. It has made our village, country and state proud,” said Vinod Sharma, Neighbour.

It’s tragic moment for captain Chowdhary’s family, but he’s performed an exceptional feat of bravery for which not just his family but entire country will be proud of him.