GORKHA, Jan 3: A small village in Gorkha Municipality-5 has been mourning since Wednesday. After the news emerged that a local Arjun Thapa Magar had died in enemy fire from the Pakistani army in the disputed Kashmir region, residents of Dadhgau have lost their smile, and the whole village is mourning his death.
Magar, 26, who was serving in the Indian Gurkha Regiment, died in an exchange of fire at the Jammu and Kashmir region of the India-Pakistan border on Wednesday.
Late Thapa’s father Prem Bahadur along with his daughter-in-law and some relatives have left for Kakarvitta in Jhapa district to receive his dead body. But it is not yet clear whether the Indian Army would hand over the dead body to them in Kakarvitta.
Nepali in Gorkha Regiment killed in India-Pakistan clash
Currently, only Parmila, late Thapa’s sister, is in the house. She is so devastated that she has not entered the kitchen since Wednesday. The utensils in the kitchen are left unwashed. The cattle in the shed have not got fodder since that morning.
Late Thapa was the sole bread winner of the family. After Thapa joined the Indian Army, his father used to happily tell his neighbors that his hard days were over. But his happiness was short-lived. Prem Bahadur sold a pair of oxen he had for farming purpose after his son joined the Indian Army. He thought that his hard days were finally over.
On Thursday, Thapa’s sister Parmila couldn’t properly talk about her brother. She left her home, and proceeded towards the village. Signs of deep pain were clearly visible on her face.
The neighbors were also mourning Thapa’s death. Her neighbors had gathered in a nearby house, and their eyes were all at the house of Thapa.
“Thapa got married only in June last year,” Tul Kumari Thapa Magar, a neighbor said, adding that she feels that she attended Thapa’s wedding reception only yesterday.
Thapa’s mother passed away some three years ago due to cancer, and his father worked hard as a farmer to support the family. According to a relative Nanda Kumari Thapa, late Thapa was on leave for a month in November-December. “He [Thapa] had returned to India on December 20. He had come to the village for the first time after getting married,” she said.
There are dozens of youths serving in the Indian army from the same village in Gorkha. The news about Thapa’s death has left all villagers to pray that they do not have to listen to similar tragic news in future.
