'Martyr' captain promised to come home for Holi

Captain Devinder Singh Jass was to join his family in Ghaziabad for Holi celebrations, but fate willed otherwise, as he died fighting militants in north Kashmir.

A day after 26-year-old Jass was killed in an encounter with militants in Sopore, his family members are yet to come to terms with the loss.

"Two days ago, I talked to him and he assured to see me on Holi," the officer's mother Dalbeer Kaur said as tears rolled down on her face.

His father Bhupender Singh, a retired manager for Dabur India Ltd, said he received the news about his son's death on Tuesday.

"I got a call from Srinagar telling me what had happened. All I can say is that we have lost everything. We had only one son...What can we say?" he said.

Army messengers too reached his house in Abhay Khand I in Indira Puram, Ghaziabad, on Tuesday night and informed his parents about the loss.

Jass was among the three army personnel killed during an 18-hour gunbattle, which saw the elimination of five top terrorists of Pakistan-based terror outfits in Sopore.

"Our child has been martyred. He has lost his life for the country at a young age of 26," Kulwant Singh, his uncle said.

The body of the deceased officer will be flown to Ghaziabad and will be cremated at Hindon riverbank on Wednesday evening.