Sepoy Ganesh Hansdah, 21, a native of Baharagora block in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district who died in the Galwan Valley clash, had dreamt of building a pucca house for his family before getting married.

“I feel proud to have a brother who not only sacrificed his life for the country but also his personal interest for the family. He visited us in December last year and returned to Ladakh on January 27. I had asked him about his marriage plans since it had been almost two years that he had joined the army. He had refused then and said he would first build a pucca house for the family before getting married. He has sacrificed his life serving the country. Will the government now give us a good house or a decent job?” asked elder brother Dinesh Hansdah, 25.

An ITI-trained turner who used to work in a small factory in Jamshedpur, Dinesh has been rendered jobless during the lockdown.

Father Subda Hansdah, 62, and mother Kapra Hansdah, 53, have been speechless with shock since the news of their son’s death arrived from the army headquarters on Tuesday around 8pm. They could not speak to visitors at their rickety three-roomed hut in Santhal-dominated Kosafalia village in Baharagora.

The village is around 100km east of Jamshedpur.

Sepoy Ganesh Hansdah Picture by Bhola Prasad

“My brother was pursuing intermediate in science from LBSM College in Karandih (near Jamshedpur) but dropped out in the second year in 2015. He then went for three years of training at the NCC and got selected for the Indian Army during a direct recruitment drive held at Morabadi ground in Ranchi in 2018,” the elder brother said.

“After completing nine months of training at Danapur in Bihar, he had got a posting in Leh,” Dinesh said.

East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla said Ganesh’s body would arrive by flight from Delhi to Ranchi and reach Baharagora by Thursday noon.

His last rites would be held with state honours at Baharagora, he added.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren condoled the death of the soldiers. “I am deeply saddened at the martyrdom of another Jharkhand sher (lion) Ganesh Hansdah during the violent standoff along the Indo-China border. Yesterday (Tuesday) too we had got the news of the martyrdom of another Jharkhand braveheart Kundan Kumar Ojha (of Sahebganj). The country will remember for ages the sacrifices of Jharkhand sons while protecting the sovereignty of the country,” he tweeted on Wednesday afternoon.