Thousands of villagers in Mehradasi, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, lined the streets on Sunday to bid a tearful farewell to Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga, a 36-year-old medical assistant with the Indian Air Force’s 36 Wing, who was killed in a Pakistani strike on the Udhampur airbase in Jammu & Kashmir early Saturday.
Moga, who had been deployed to Udhampur just days earlier amid escalating Indo-Pak hostilities, is survived by his wife Seema, daughter Vartika (11), and son Daksh (7).
The funeral was attended by senior officials and politicians, with the family receiving assurances of support from both state and central governments. Moga’s daughter vowed to join the armed forces to honour her father’s sacrifice and “avenge his death”.
A Village United in Grief and Pride
Sergeant Moga’s mortal remains, draped in the tricolour, were transported through his home village on a flower-adorned truck, followed by a procession of vehicles and villagers, many of whom climbed rooftops for a final glimpse. The hour-and-a-half-long funeral procession culminated in a state funeral, where his son Daksh performed the last rites and the national flag was handed to his daughter, Vartika.
The emotional farewell saw Moga’s wife Seema inconsolable and hospitalised after fainting from shock, while local leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa and state opposition leaders, paid tribute. “When a soldier sacrifices for the country, his family sacrifices, too,” said minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, reflecting the collective sentiment of pride and loss.
A Life of Service Cut Short by Conflict
Sergeant Moga had served in the IAF for 14 years, following in the footsteps of his late father, a CRPF veteran. Originally posted in Bengaluru, he was redeployed to Udhampur just four days before the fatal attack, as tensions flared along the border.
The attack that claimed his life was part of a series of cross-border strikes and shelling that have killed at least two Indian defence personnel and injured several others in recent days.
Moga had recently celebrated moving into a new family home and was looking forward to a peaceful retirement, dreams now left unfulfilled. His mother, Nanu Devi, has not yet been told of his death due to her fragile health.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga’s sacrifice is a stark reminder of the human toll of ongoing conflict and the resilience of families left behind. While we salute his courage and dedication, The Logical Indian reaffirms its commitment to peace, dialogue, and empathy.
True security lies in harmony and coexistence, not in endless cycles of retaliation. How can we, as a society, better support the families of our soldiers and foster a culture where peace prevails over conflict?
