A day after naik Pundalik Mane from Kolhapur lost his life at the Line of Control (LoC), his family is still in the dark about his death. Villagers of Pimpalgaon in Kolhapur have all come together to protect the family and they have decided not to break the news to the family till his body arrives in the village.
Mane, 36, was among the five soldiers killed in a cross-border raid at Poonch. He survived by his wife Rajashree, two children Aarti and Amol and his aged parents. His entire family was dependent on his Army salary.
Villagers said that they would gently break the news to his aged parents as they don’t want them to suffer a shock. They said that the body will be brought to Pune by 7 pm on Wednesday and will be brought to the village by Thursday morning.
The villagers also kept out all reporters and news channels from meeting the family. Even VIPs who make a beeline to meet the family have been told to stay away. Brigadier Sudhir Sawant who was in the Congress earlier went to meet the family but the villagers asked him not to meet the family.
The villagers have have spontaneously decided to shut down all establishments in the village.