Coffins of soldiers killed in Pulwama during the wreath laying ceremony at the CRPF camp in Budgam. (PTI)
Residents of Khudawal village in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur remember CRPF soldier Ashwini Kumar Kachhi as a cheerful person who would often encourage others to join the armed forces. He was one of the soldiers of the CRPF killed in a terror attack in Pulwama, one of the deadliest on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir'. His death has sent the entire village into mourning.
People from Ashwini Kumar Kachhi's village fondly remember him as a person who would always greet everyone with a smile. He was the yongest one his family.
40 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed Thursday afternoon after a suicide bomber detonated explosives next to a convoy of 78 CRPF buses. Over 2,500 personnel were travelling on the highway from Jammu to Srinagar.
As the news of the soldier's death reached the village, people rushed to his parent's side. "He used to encourage young people from our village to join the armed forces. He always had a smile on his face when he greeted me," a local said.
Two more soldiers from the Madhya Pradesh village have killed on duty, locals say.