MUZAFFARNAGAR: On June 12, 1999, four officers, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and 17 jawans died during the ongoing Kargil war. Among those dead, was Bachan Singh, a Lance naik in the 2nd Battalion of Rajputana Rifles. Singh was killed at Tololing, in Kargil.
On that day, Singh's son Hitesh Kumar, who was just six at the time, swore to join the Army and serve the nation.
Nearly 19 years later, his dream came true.
Kumar secured an admission into the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Indian Army.
But most interesting of all, Kumar will serve in the same battalion as his father.
Immediately after the passingout parade, Hitesh paid tribute to his father's memorial in the Civil Lines area of Muzaffarnagar.
Kumar's mother, who brought her two sons up with so much difficulty after her husband's death, had tears in her eyes as he participated in the passout parade.
