Captain Brijesh Thapa of Darjeeling martyred fighting terrorists in J&K

He was supposed to come home later this month 

EOI, DARJEELING, JULY 16, 2024 : Nilima and Bhuwanesh Thapa last spoke to their son Brijesh on Sunday, urging him to come ome for the Dasai festival in October; but in a flash their lives have turned upside down with reports of the death of their son in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night.

Brijesh’s parents cannot believe that their son will now never ever comeback home. On Monday night, while leading an operation in the dense Dessa forest belt in the Doda district of J&K,Captain Brijesh Thapa along with three other soldiers were killed in a gun fight with militants. 

“I still cannot believe that my son is no more now and will never come back home. He was supposed to come home later this month for a short period. On Sunday I asked him to take leave in October for the Dasai festival,” said Nilima.

Brijesh (27) from Bara Ging Bazar near Lebong in Darjeeling joined the 145 Army Air Defense in 2019 and was on extra regimental duty for two years with the 10Rashtriya Rifles, as company commander.

“My son always had a heart for the army from a young age. In fact, he got enlisted in the army by himself even though his father is a retired army man. Whenever I asked him to take leave he would say that the situation in J&K was not good and that operations were ongoing against militants,” said Nilima. Brijesh’s father retired from the army in 2014 but joined the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) at Lebong to keep himself occupied.

“At around 11 p.m on Monday night, we received a phone call from J&K informing us about our son but the details were hazy. My son was a gem and never complained about anything. He was a positive person and a complete family man even though he was very young. We are proud of our son and his sacrifice for the country,” said Bhuwanesh.

The slain martyr’s elder sister Nikita, who is an upcoming talented singer undergoing music training in Australia, will fly back to Darjeeling, to be with the family. The Thapa family is presently residing at Sashtrinagar in Siliguri but will travel back to their ancestral home in Ging, Darjeeling, on Wednesday with the mortal remains of their son.

Sources said the mortal remains will be flown to Bagdogra on Wednesday where the army is expected to pay homage and then taken up to Ging by road for cremation. With news of the death of the army officer spreading like wildfire in the hills, political leaders offered condolences to the bereaved family, in their social media platform terming Brijesh a martyr.