Last rites of Army officer who died in Sikkim carried out in Ayodhya

Ayodhya (UP), May 24 (PTI) Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari of the Sikkim Scouts, Gorkha Rifle regiment, who made the supreme sacrifice while saving a fellow soldier in Sikkim, was laid to rest with full state honors at Jamthara Ghat on the banks of the Saryu River on Saturday.

His father, Jang Bahadur Tiwari, performed the last rites.

The mortal remains of the 22-year-old martyr arrived at Ayodhya Military Hospital on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, army officials brought the body from the hospital to his residence, where thousands of locals joined the funeral procession.

Throughout the day, a steady stream of people, including locals and public representatives, came to pay their respects to the officer.

Amidst chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Shahhed Shashank Tiwari Amar rahen," army personnel carried the body to Jamthara Ghat where the funeral was conducted with full state honors.

Among those who paid their tributes were senior politicians and officials from the district administration and from the Dogra Regiment Center.

Lieutenant Tiwari, a native of Ayodhya, was martyred in Sikkim on Thursday. During an operational patrol, a fellow soldier fell into a turbulent river and was being swept away by the strong current.

Without hesitation, Tiwari courageously jumped into the river and successfully pulled his comrade but tragically lost his own life in the process.

Tiwari, the only son in his family, had joined the Indian Army last year after clearing the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance examination in 2019. PTI COR CDN NB NB