A mother's blanket of love drapes martyred BSF constable's statue

Jammu, Jan 11 (PTI) A winter blanket draped over the statue of BSF constable Gurnam Singh, who laid down his life fighting terrorists in 2016 at the age of 26, has become a symbol of a mother's eternal love for her child and touched hearts across the country.

The statue, enclosed in a glass frame at Shaheed Gurnam Chowk, stands as a symbol of courage and sacrifice in his hometown in the R S Pura sector of Jammu. But for Gurnam Singh's mother, Jaswant Kour, it is not a monument but her son -- one she continues to care for every day, cradling his photograph in her lap.

Locals say the mother visits the memorial and cleans the statue almost daily. Each visit follows the same quiet routine: wiping the glass, cleaning the base of the statue, and ensuring the memorial remains neat and dust-free.

Sometime back, she draped a blanket over the statue, as if protecting her son from the cold, the locals said, adding the act drew the attention of passers-by, many of whom were visibly moved.

"There were no speeches or ceremonies - only a mother’s instinctive gesture that spoke of love, loss, and remembrance,” Sher Singh, a local resident, said.

Images of the statue covered in the blanket shared on social media have evoked emotional messages. Many felt that while the nation honours its fallen soldiers through official tributes, the devotion highlights the unseen sacrifices borne by the families of martyrs.

Kulbir Singh, father of the fallen soldier, said a mother's concern for her child never fades, whether he is alive or not.

“A mother remains a mother; sometimes she weeps silently and sometimes she gives up food,” he told PTI.

He said when winter sets in, they cover his statue with a warm blanket for four months, and then replace it with a lighter one.

He said the family is proud of their son, who laid down his life for the country.

Constable Gurnam Singh, a recipient of the President’s police medal for gallantry, was fatally shot by terrorists from across the border, two days after he demonstrated exemplary courage and thwarted an infiltration bid by a group of six heavily armed terrorists in Hiranagar Sector of Kathua district.

The 26-year-old Singh shot dead one of the infiltrating terrorists while forcing others to flee back despite the terrorists using Rocket Propelled Grenades and heavy gunfire while attempting to sneak into this side during the intervening night of October 19 and 20, 2016. PTI COR TAS TAS RT RT