Meerut Agniveer killed in Poonch; joined Army to support family
Lalit was cremated with military honours on Saturday.
Lalit, the son of a daily wage worker, had joined the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme just a year and a half ago, driven by the responsibility of supporting his financially struggling family. Despite being the youngest of four siblings, he had taken it upon himself to educate his brothers and sister, and dreamt of getting them married.
Lalit was on his first posting in Poonch when the incident occurred. According to the family, they received a phone call from Lalit's regiment around 2 pm on Friday. They were told that he had been seriously injured in a landmine explosion during a routine patrol. Later, military officials confirmed that Naib Subedar Hariram, Havaldar Gajendra Singh, and Agniveer Lalit Kumar were patrolling near their post when they encountered the deadly landmine. All three were injured, but Lalit later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
According to the family, Lalit had returned to duty only 17 days ago, on July 9, after spending a short 15-day leave with his family. He had left with promises of returning soon on another break to help complete important tasks back home. The family had happily accompanied him to the Meerut railway station.
Sister Kajal said Lalit was the first son in the family to secure a government job. After passing his intermediate exams, he had been working toward a B.A. degree. He wanted to complete his education after four years in the Army, Kajal said.
Elder brother Nitin added, 'When Lalit said he'd been selected for the Army, the entire household erupted in joy. On the very first night, Lalit phoned every member of the family, and even spoke with his friends in the neighbourhood.'
Father Rajpal Singh recalled, 'The very first job application Lalit ever filled out turned out to be the successful one. When my son was selected, it felt as though all our hardships and years of manual labour had finally borne fruit.'
In a post on X, White Knight Corps stated: 'General Officer Commanding White Knight Corps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Agniveer Lalit Kumar, who made the supreme sacrifice, while on an area domination patrol in the general area of Krishna Ghati brigade on 25 July 2025, following a mine blast. We stand with the bereaved family in this hour of grief.'
By: deepak.lavania@htlive.com
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