To join Army and kill militants was Captain Tushar Mahajan's childhood dream

Jammu: When children of his age were engrossed in games and toys, Captain Tushar Mahajan was already dreaming about dedicating his life to the nation by joining the army and killing terrorists.

As his mortal remains wrapped in tricolor reached his hometown today, his friends recalled an essay that the braveheart had written in school expressing his desire to join the army.

"He was such a boy that when he was asked to write an essay in the class he wrote that his aim was to join the Army and kill terrorists. That was the time when his other classmates did not even know what terrorists or the army was," his classmate and childhood friend Sushant said.

Mahajan of 9 Para was one of the two-army captains who were killed while fighting terrorists in the EDI building in the Pampore area of the Pulwama district in Kashmir Valley.

As the officer's body reached the headquarters of army's Northern Command at Udhampur, his mother broke down and almost fainted while hugging the coffin.

Recalling Mahajan's passion for the army, his inconsolable father, Dev Raj said, "He always wanted to join the army and at the age of 16 he got selected for NDA. We never objected to it as it was his childhood dream to serve the nation."

Describing Mahajan as a naughty child who was loved by all, the retired principal said even though he has lost his son, Mahajan has made the entire nation, especially his hometown proud.

"Though I have lost my son I am proud that he laid down his life for the nation, an honour which only a few can get," he said.

"He always wanted to join the army and filled all the forms by himself. He had this passion to be in the army and we never objected to it. His passion was to serve the country", Dev Raj said.

Dev Raj said his son's death should not go waste and the politicians of the country should work to make "things right". He said he was not aware that his son was also a part of the ongoing operations in Pampore.

"I had no knowledge that Tushar was part of the ongoing operation in Pampore, but when I came to know about the martyrdom of Captain Pawan Kumar I was sad for the whole day. How many children will attain martyrdom? When will our politicians realise this," he said.

Several senior army officers including the General Officer Commanding-in Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Northern Command, Lt Gen D S Hooda and others laid wreath on the mortal remains of the captain. Officials from the civil administration, including the Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Shahid Iqbal Choudhary also laid wreath. Many of his close relatives and friends were also present.