As IAF hero is laid to rest, daughter vows to join forces, avenge his death

JHUNJHUNU: Thousands lined the streets Sunday in Mehradasi village of Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu to bid a teary farewell to Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga , a medical assistant with IAF's 36 Wing in J&K's Udhampur killed in a Pakistani strike on Saturday.

The 36-year-old's body, draped in tricolour, was transported on a flower-adorned truck, accompanied by a procession of vehicles and bikes. As the teeming throngs paid last respects to their hero and many climbed rooftops to catch a final glimpse, the heart-wrenching journey to the crematorium lasted an hour-and-a-half. For many who knew him, however, it felt like an eternity.

Moga's wife Seema was inconsolable, needing the support of other women. Their seven-year-old son, Daksh, performed the last rites. The national flag was handed over to Moga's daughter Vartika, 11. Vartika declared she would join the army and "avenge her father's death by eliminating enemies". Moga had been stationed in Bengaluru and was deployed in Udhampur five days ago due to the escalating conflict.

In attendance were prominent politicians, including Rajasthan deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa of BJP, state leader of opposition Tikaram Jully of Congress, BJP state chief Madan Rathore and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra. "When a soldier sacrifices for the country, his family sacrifices, too," said minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.