Raju Newar, a resident of Tingkhang, who served in the 7 Mechanised Regiment, 1st Dogra, Uddhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, died in an accident on November 8, 2017 leaving his family bereft.
His copiously weeping wife, Rita Newar, who is yet to get over her husband's death, recalls the evening when she got to know that something terrible had happened to him. Rita was not only talking to him over the phone when the incident occurred but was also about two months pregnant.
When did you know that some thing had happened to your husband?
I was at a loose end on the evening of November 8 and thought I'd give him a call.
My son had undergone an operation on October 19 and my husband, who had come home for the purpose had left about three days after the operation. I thought I'd update him about how our son, Kamal, was recuperating and how I was doing as he knew that I was pregnant,
I was on the call to him and we were chatting when all of a sudden, I could no longer hear his voice.
The phone must have fallen from his hand and in the background, I could hear shouts and screams. This continued for about 15 minutes and I could hear some one saying that a leg had to be cut and some other such terrible things.
I kept on saying "hello, hello" but there was no response from the other end, I disconnected and rang another phone which my husband owned. It was picked up by someone and I asked him how he had the phone that belonged to my husband. The person on the other end revealed his identity to be a policeman and I asked for Raju Newar. It was then that he revealed that an accident had taken place but nothing beyond that.
I panicked and rang my elder brother who was also in the Army but posted at another state. I begged him to go and find out what had happened to Raju and he assured me that he would go and find out.
In the mean time I searched for a diary in which my husband had written a phone number and asked me to call the number if I thought that there was any emergency. I never imagined that I would be ever required to call that number. But after the call was connected the person at the other end said that he was totally ignorant about an accident having taken place.
All that I came to know after making frantic calls here and there was that he had not died and was hospitalised with injuries but okay Although the news had spread that he was dead and people were coming to our house I did not realise that he was dead and kept telling everyone that he was hospitalised and alive. I was told about his death three days later.
Taking up the narrative Rita's brother, Dhruba Pradhan said that he served in the Army Artillery division in another state and remembered that night pretty well.
After my sister called me, I called up my contacts in the Army and came to know that Raju's closed Army vehicle had been hit by a massive rock. Raju was a co driver in the vehicle and apart from the driver there were several jawans in the back of the vehicle,
After the rock hit the vehicle, the truck fell from the winding mountainous road about 20 to 25 feet down below, Almost all were injured including Raju, who was rushed to Jammu Command Hospital at Uddhampur. He was not brought dead but succumbed to his injuries at about 11.30 pm. I came to know about this but did not reveal this to my sister or our family that night.
I was in my camp and the JCO had called my CO to and asked me to go and fetch the body. I took 15 days leave and took the body home in a flight.
Pradhan said that Raju, as a brother-in-law was a was a very good man and that he was with the 7 Mech Regiment Infantry and then was sent to 12 RR at Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, under the Extra Regimental Employment.
Pradhan said that Raju's death was declared as a Battle Casualty by the Indian Army and therefore the pension and other benefits were good.
Were any memorial or a Shaheed Bedi put up in the village?
Rita Newar said that nothing of this sort has been made till date.
Did you get any facilities from the state government after his death?
No. As I was about two months pregnant and my son just recovering from his operation my condition was such that I could not mange anything or even think about applying for any benefit. I had twins, Khyati and Khushi, now both are 4 years old. While one is normal the other has problems. She has just started walking and is slow. I have to take extra care of her and was not in the position nor right frame of mind to think about applying for any facility from the government.
When your husband came home what did he like to do?
Most of his time was taken up in keeping the surroundings of our house clean. He sometimes joined in some village function or festivity if his leave coincided with a festival.
Did your husband take you on any trips?
We never went anywhere when he came home but right after marriage, I accompanied him to Bobbina, Jhansi in UP where he was posted at that time.
There I was treated very well by other wives when he was away at work. They treated me like I was a small girl.
The wives were all given training in tailoring and I learnt how to sew and cut. But a few months into the course and I became pregnant with my first child, Kamal. He was born there. I could not go for classes but appeared for the exam and was also given a certificate. After about six months after Kamal's birth I returned home and stayed on with my in-laws. My mother-in-law is still with us.
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