A pall of gloom descended in two non-descript tribal villages in Odisha following the deaths of two jawans, who were killed in a clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.
Two jawans from Odisha were among the 20 soldiers martyred at Galwan Valley along the India-China border following a fatal clash with Chinese soldiers on Monday night.
The two jawans are Chandrakant Pradhan (28) from Biarpanga village under Raikia block of Kandhamal district and Naib Subedar Nanduram Soren (42) from Badachampauda village under Rairangpur block of Mayurbhanj district.
Soren had joined the 16 Bihar regiment in 1997 while Pradhan was joined as a sepoy with the same regiment in 2014.
"We were informed about the martyrdom of our son on Tuesday night. Though the news has devastated us, we feel proud that he sacrificed his life for the motherland," informed Karunakar Pradhan, father of Chandrakant Pradhan.
While Pradhan was the principal earner in the family, he is survived by his parents and three siblings- two younger brothers and an elder sister.
On the other hand, Soren is survived by his wife Laxmi Majhi and three daughters.
"We all feel devastated after getting information about the demise of my brother. We along with the villagers are equally proud of him," said Soren's brother Daman Majhi.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tribute to the 20 Indian Army personnel and said the jawans made supreme sacrifice for the integrity of the nation.
"Join the nation to salute the bravehearts of #IndianArmy who made the supreme sacrifice at #GalwanValley, protecting the integrity of our nation. Deepest condolences to the families of the brave martyrs," Patnaik tweeted.
( With inputs from IANS )