Sidhi (Madhya Pradesh):
Army chief General Bikram Singh today met the family of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh, one of the two Indian soldiers killed by Pakistani troops at the Line of Control (LoC) on January 8, and assured them they would be looked after.
"They are entitled to more than Rs 42 lakh, which they will get. Sudhakar Singh's wife will get Rs 23,000 every month. We have given his elder son a job in GP Cements and provided the family cement to construct a house. The Army Wives Welfare Association keeps track of the help we give to the families," General Singh said.
The Army chief was in Dadhiya village in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district to meet the family. Sudhakar Singh's wife told him she wished to see her four-month-old son join the army.
General Singh said the situation at LoC was under control. "...Nobody needs to worry about LoC right now. I assure you our best men are on the job and things are under control," he said.
On Wednesday, General Singh had met the family members of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh at Shernagar village of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura District, amid demands that his severed head be brought back from Pakistan. He and his wife Surjeet had conveyed their condolences to the family and promised that the Army will stand by them.
Tension peaked last week after the two soldiers were killed in firing by Pakistani troops and Hemraj's body was decapitated. In the next few days, the Indian Army reported repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the LoC and said it had only retaliated.
India and Pakistan this week agreed to de-escalate the situation along LoC and the Director General of Military Operations of the two countries spoke to each other to defuse the tension.
(With inputs from agencies)