"It is a very important day," these were the last words of CRPF Commandant Pramod Kumar after he unfurled the tricolour at the forces' base in Srinagar.
CRPF commandant Pramod Kumar was martyred in downtown Srinagar, during a gunbattle between terrorists and security personnel on Monday . The martyred officer killed two terrorists before he was shot at in the neck. Pramod was in-charge of the CRPF's 49th battalion. Pramod Kumar was given DG's commendation disc in 2015 and commendation certificate in 2014 for "highest operational acumen". 44-year-old Kumar hoisted the flag between 8:30-8:40 AM and made a speech saying with India clocking 70 years of its freedom, the responsibility on security forces has "increased" and they have to effectively tackle militants and incidents of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir. Just before he ended his speech, Kumar, in a video of the event, is seen looking at his watch as he said "it is an important day", unaware of the fate that awaited him. Here are last words of India’s 5 martyrs:
“I regret I have but one life to give for my country.” – Prem Ramchandani
"Either I will come back after hoisting the tricolor, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.” – Capt. Vikram Batra. Captain Batra was also well known for using the slogan "Yeh Dil Maange More!"
“If death strikes, before I prove my blood, I swear I'll kill death.” – Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey PVC 1/11 Gorkha Rifles
"If a man says he's not afraid of dying, he's either lying, or he's a Gorkha.” – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
