Soldiers live on in people’s hearts: Mother of gallantry awardee officer

Soldiers don’t die, rather they go on to live “another life” in the hearts of people, said Fatema Bohara.

The mother of Major Mustafa Bohara, who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation and received a Shaurya Chakra posthumously for displaying extraordinary courage.

Shaurya Chakra is India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award after Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday conferred 10 Kirti Chakras, including seven posthumously, to personnel of the Army and paramilitary forces for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.

The supreme commander of the armed forces also presented 26 Shaurya Chakras, including seven posthumously, to the personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and state/Union Territory police during a defence investiture ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, in a post on ‘X’, said, “President Droupadi Murmu conferred Shaurya Chakra upon Major Mustafa Bohara, 252 Army Aviation Squadron, posthumously. In October 2022, he made supreme sacrifice for the nation and displayed extraordinary courage and flying skills by steering the helicopter which caught fire, away from the inhabited area.”

In a video shared on ‘X’ by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence on Sunday, Fatema Bohara, who belongs to the Bohara community, shared fond memories of her son and his National Defence Academy (NDA) days.

“When he took the first step into the NDA, his resolve was to serve the nation. Material wealth doesn’t matter as much as honour does,” she said.

In the clip, an emotionally moved Fatema recalled how her son used to often talk about the support he received from his seniors and the telephone calls as well as the letters she used to get from him.

Maj Bohara’s Shaurya Chakra was accepted by his parents during the investiture ceremony. Fatema said somehow she had a “foreboding” about her son’s death.

“They say a mother gets a feeling about her child. Somehow, I had a foreboding about this. Two days before the incident, I started crying and didn’t eat food. Then the news (of death) came,” she said.

“But, soldiers don’t die. They go on to live another life in the hearts of their family members and people of the nation they serve,” the proud mother said.