Nirmala Sitharaman visits Aurangzeb’s family in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, calls slain rifleman 'an inspiration'

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the family of slain army jawan Aurangzeb in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Wednesday. “I have come to spend some time with the family of the martyr and the message I am carrying back is that the soldier stands out as an inspiration for the entire country,” the minister told media persons.

The slain soldier’s father had also served in the army. The visit came two days after Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawal met Aurangzeb’s family in Salani village and assured them that his “supreme sacrifice” would not go in vain, a report in The Indian Express said. [caption id=“attachment_4550561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Nirmala Sitharaman. AFP[/caption] Aurangzeb was abducted on 14 June when he was on his way home for Eid celebrations. His body was found by a team of police and army about 10 kilometres away from Kalampora in Pulwama district. He was shot in the head and the neck. A video released by the militant group that abducted Aurangzeb showed him acknowledging that he was a soldier of the Indian Army and had participated in anti-militancy operations in south Kashmir. The  slain rifleman was laid to rest  with full state honours on 15 June. Aurangzeb’s father Mohammad Hanif said he wanted the government to "eliminate militancy" . “My son has abided by his pledge, he has kept his promise. He sacrificed himself for the nation and came back to me. I request the central and state governments to eliminate militancy,” Hanif was quoted as saying by ANI. With inputs from IANS