SAMBA: A pall of gloom descended on the village in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday upon receiving the tragic news of the martyrdom of an Indian Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) jawan, Joginder Singh who lost his life in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh.

The entire village gathered at the house of the fallen jawan as they awaited the arrival of his mortal remains scheduled for Saturday evening.

Official sources indicated that the slain jawan's body would reach his home later in the day, with the cremation anticipated to take place on Sunday.

The incident leading to Joginder Kumar's demise occurred around 1620 hrs in an IED blast after the closure of a polling booth during the 2nd Phase of assembly elections at Bade Gobra, Gariyaband District of Chhattisgarh.

Joginder Kumar, aged 45 and a resident of Abtal Katalan village in the Ramgarh sector of Samba, came from a family with a history of service to the nation. His father and elder brother retired from the Army, while his two younger siblings are currently serving in the ITBP and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The news of Kumar's death in the IED explosion near Bade Gobra village left the entire village in mourning.

Locals gathered at Kumar's residence to offer condolences to the grieving family, which includes his inconsolable mother and wife.

The martyr leaves behind his wife, a nine-year-old son, elderly parents, an elder brother, two younger brothers, and a sister.

Jagdish Raj, Kumar's brother, fondly recalled his sibling's dedication, highlighting that Kumar had secured the first position during his selection process and served the country for over two decades. The village head, Somnath, expressed the community's sadness over the loss, noting that they learned about the unfortunate incident at 5 pm on Friday.

The Director General of ITBP and all ranks paid tribute to the braveheart who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, as stated in a post on X.