Hemraj's mother Meena Devi.
The wife and mother of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh, who was brutally killed by the Pakistani Army along the border in Jammu and Kashmir, have vowed to remain on an indefinite fast until his severed head is found and returned to them.
Hemraj, 32, and colleague Sudhakar Singh, both from the 13 Rajputana Rifles, were killed by infiltrating Pakistani soldiers in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on January 8.
Hemraj's body was found mutilated, sparking a diplomatic face-off between India and Pakistan and tension along the Line of Control that separates the two countries. Pakistan denies its troops crossed over and killed the two jawans.
Hemraj's wife Dharmvati and mother Meena Devi say they won't take the soldier to be dead until they see his head.
"I'm not ready to believe the person who got killed is Hemraj. I haven't seen the head, why should I believe?" says Dharmvati.
Meena Devi says: "We haven't had food or medicines. We aren't ready to accept Hemraj is dead until we see his head."
Hemraj's extended family and residents of his Shernagar village in Uttar Pradesh called off their fast on Saturday after the Akhilesh Yadav government agreed to some other demands.
The village chief told the Press Trust of India the Uttar Pradesh government has promised a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for Hemraj's family and a government college in his name. The villagers had gone on fast as nobody from the state government had attended Hemraj's funeral.
(With PTI inputs)