Uttarakhand: Rajnath Singh, Om Birla grace Divine Spirituality Festival in Haridwar

Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], December 25 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla arrived in Haridwar on Monday, where they were welcomed by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Later, they attended the Divine Spirituality Festival held at Harihar Ashram in Kankhal, Haridwar.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing the ‘Divine Spirituality Festival’, said, “Who can be called spiritual?” and answered it by saying, “Whoever has a big heart is spiritual.”

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid tribute to two army personnel, Naik Virendra Singh and Rifleman Gautam Kumar, who lost their lives in a terrorist ambush on Thursday in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Naik Virendra Singh is a resident of Chamoli district, while Rifleman Gautam Kumar is from Pauri Garhwal district.

Their mortal remains were brought to Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport on Monday morning, where CM Dhami paid tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Four army personnel were killed, while three others were injured on Thursday in the terror attack in the forest area of Dera ki Gali in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

CM Dhami also met the family members of the departed souls and consoled them for their irreparable loss.

Taking to X, Dhami said, “Reaching Jolly Grant Airport, paid floral tribute to the mortal remains of Rifleman Gautam Kumar ji of Kotdwar and Birendra Singh ji of Chamoli, two brave sons of the military land of Uttarakhand who made the supreme sacrifice.”

“The sacrifice made to serve the nation will always inspire all of us to serve the nation. Humble tribute!” added the post.

Earlier, officials of the Indian Army accorded a tearful farewell to the four fallen soldiers, Naik Birender Singh, Rifleman Gautam Kumar, Naik Karan Kumar, and Rifleman Chandan Kumar, at a wreath-laying ceremony in Rajouri on Sunday.