Capt Thapa, originally posted with the 145 Army Air Defence, had temporarily been on extra-regimental duty

The father of the 27-year-old Indian army captain Brijesh Thapa, who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night, said that he was proud of his son’s sacrifice, but the family would miss him for the rest of their lives. Colonel Bhuwanesh Thapa (Retd.), father of Captain Brijesh Thapa, who was killed in an encounter with terrorists n Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda, at their home in Siliguri on Tuesday.

“I feel proud that our son has done something for the nation. But the only thing is that we will be missing him for the rest of our lives. That is the only sad part. Otherwise, I am happy that he has laid down his life for the country,” said Captain Thapa’s father Bhuwanesh Thapa, a retired Indian army colonel and a resident of Siliguri in West Bengal’s Darjeeling.

Along with Captain Thapa, three other army personnel were also killed in the action on Monday. His mortal remains are expected to arrive at Bagdogra airport near Siliguri on Wednesday. His funeral will be held at his ancestral place at Bada Ging near Lebong in Darjeeling.

“I got a call from the CO (commanding officer) of his parent unit at around 10.30pm. He broke the news that Brijesh was no more. I couldn’t believe and asked him to recheck. He said that it was confirmed.

Captain Thapa joined the army in 2019 after clearing the Combined Defence Service examination in 2018. He was a BTech graduate and followed his father Col (retd) Bhuwanesh Thapa’s and his grandfather Nar Bahadur Thapa’s footsteps and joined the Indian Army. Captain Thapa’s grandfather was also in the army and died while in service.

“Brijesh was supposed to come home shortly but as the situation in the front was not good, it was not confirmed when he would return. We were to go for a family vacation. But on Monday at around 10pm, we got a call from the army and were told that my son has become a martyr,” said Nilima Thapa, his mother.

“I can’t believe that my son, with whom I had spoken on Sunday, is no more and has died fighting for the country,” she added.

Captain Brijesh Thapa’s mother Nilima Thapa breaks into tears in Siliguri on Tuesday

Talking to HT, Col Thapa (Retd) who retired from the army in 2014 after serving for 34 years, said: “I had tried to speak with Brijesh on Monday but could not. On Sunday, he told us that the front, where he was posted, was a remote place and could be reached only on foot. He never complained and was very positive despite all the odds he was facing.”

Capt. Thapa was originally posted with the 145 Army Air Defence. But for the last two years he had been temporarily on extra-regimental duty and was the A company commander in the 10 Rashtriya Rifles.

His family members said he was fond of music and played the guitar and drums. His home in Siliguri at Shastri Nagar on Mother Teresa Road has two guitars and every time he came home, he used to play them. His elder sister, who is studying music in Australia, has been informed about his death and she is scheduled to come home on Tuesday night, they said.

When this reporter visited Capt. Thapa’s Siliguri home, his ailing grandmother was still unaware of what had happened to his grandson. “We have not told anything to her as she is ill and we don’t want to give her a shock,” said a relative.

Namita Sakya, Capt Thapa’s aunt who had come to the Siliguri home from Kathmandu after hearing the news, said: “We have some elderly people in the family who are sick. When I got a call on Monday night, I thought something might have happened to them. But when I was told that Brijesh has died fighting the enemies, everything got shattered.”

Leaders in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, such as Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba and chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Anit Thapa conveyed their condolences.

(With Inputs From Agencies)