Under Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces continued to respond to the escalating conflict along the border. As tensions grew and enemy strikes increased, brave soldiers stood at the frontlines, defending the country with all they had. On Saturday, one such hero, Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga of the Indian Air Force, laid down his life during heavy shelling in the RS Pura sector of Jammu & Kashmir, reported TOI.
Thousands gathered in Mehradasi village of Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu on Sunday to bid a tearful goodbye to the 36-year-old medical assistant. Moga, who served with IAF’s 36 Wing in Udhampur, had only been posted there five days ago. As his tricolour-draped body arrived on a flower-decked truck, accompanied by bikes and cars, locals climbed rooftops to get one last glimpse of their hero.
It’s often said that war destroys families, that the cost of a soldier’s sacrifice is shouldered by their loved ones. But in Moga’s home, while the pain was unbearable, there was also pride – the kind that only comes from knowing your loved one died protecting the nation.
Among the crowd, his 11-year-old daughter Vartika stood strong. When asked about her father, she said:
“I’m proud that he got martyred while killing the enemies and protecting the nation. I want to become a soldier like my father and avenge his death. I will finish them off one by one.”
Her younger brother Daksh, just seven, performed the last rites, while their mother Seema, heartbroken and in tears, needed the support of others to even stand. The national flag was handed to Vartika, reported Hindustan Times.
#WATCH | Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan | Vartika, Daughter of Sergeant Surendra Moga, says, “I am feeling proud that my father got martyred while killing the enemies and protecting the nation… Last time, we talked to him at 9 PM last night and he said that drones are roaming but not… https://t.co/H0EI1xKw4e pic.twitter.com/0mIHuHT8iL
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
Sergeant Surendra Moga had served in the IAF for 14 years. Known to be kind and respectful, he would always meet and greet everyone when he visited his village. Just recently, he had built a new house for his family, and they had only moved in a short while ago, according to Indian Express.
His wife was reportedly hospitalised after hearing the news. His elderly mother, two young kids, and the entire village now remember him not just as a family man but as a martyr.
Indeed, India lost a son. But in his daughter, another brave one is rising.