‘He lives on in our hearts’: Family, friends mourn armyman Lakshmanan, killed in J&K attack

The two terrorists were reportedly shot dead.

‘Will live in our hearts’

A pall of gloom descended on the village as family and friends gathered at his residence to mourn his passing.

Lakshmanan started serving as a rifleman in the Indian Army in 2019. (Umar Sharieef/ South First)

“Officers from the Indian Army informed us about his death today,” Laksmanan’s twin brother Ramu told South First.

A BCom CA graduate, Lakshmanan was the breadwinner of his family and joined the Indian Army as a rifleman in 2019.

His family said he was on a 50-day vacation recently and rejoined duty only on 25 July.

He belonged to a lower-middle-class family, and his parents Dharmaraj and Aandal have been farmers for 35 years.

Ramu told South First that he spoke with his brother the day before his death, and believes he lives on in the family’s hearts.

He said the family was planning Lakshmanan’s marriage sometime in the next two years.

He also said that he was ready to join the Army and serve the nation just like his brother.

“My brother was always my inspiration. He said he would fight terrorists. I’m proud he did as he said,” Ramu said.

‘Army was his only passion’

“He was mostly interested in sports, athletics, and the Indian Army. He was good at all the sports and excelled at physical training. But he was mainly passionate about the Indian Army and he made us all proud when he got selected,” Ramu said.

Lakshmanan’s collegemate Ruban told South First that he lost a great friend who always exuded self-confidence.

“As Ramu said, he still lives in our hearts. We are sad about his death, but also very proud of him. He made our district and even the whole nation proud,” Ruban said.

Prabhakaran, another friend of Lakshmanan, told South First that Lakshmanan had no desire in life other than to join the Army.

“I remember our college days when Lakshmanan talked about the Army and serving people,” he said.

“He never had any vices and focused on his goal of joining the Army. He achieved his goal and passed away.”

The body of Lakshmanan was likely to reach his family before Sunday, Ramu told South First.

Condolences

The Indian Army condoled the death of the three soldiers through its official Twitter handle.

Gen Manoj Pande #COAS & All Ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of Subedar Rajendra Prasad, Rifleman Manoj Kumar & Rifleman Lakshmanan D, who laid down their lives in the line of duty in Rajouri #JammuAndKashmir and offer deepest condolences to the bereaved families.#IndianArmy https://t.co/iKgfYU7zOC

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 11, 2022

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also condoled Lakshmanan’s death and announced a solatium of ₹20 lakh for his family.