Jaipur, November 17: The family of a deceased Indian Army soldier has demanded the government to treat service personnel who die of COVID-19 as "martyrs". The demand was made by the kin of Hari Singh, a 35-year-old soldier who succumbed to the virus on Monday, days after contracting the infection.

Singh was posted in Bareilly, as part of the 7 Jat regiment. He was infected after he returned to duty last month. The deceased was admitted at a government hospital in the city for treatment. After his demise on Monday, the body was sent to his village in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. UN Peacekeeping: Indian Troops to Undergo Two COVID-19 Tests Before Induction in South Sudan Amid Pandemic.

The residents of Januthar village, located in Deeg police station limits, refused to cremate the body until full state honours were accorded to him. Nem Singh, a farm leader based in the region, reportedly led the demonstration seeking complete honours to the late soldier and financial assistance to the family.

The impasse ended in the early hours of Tuesday after the villagers finally agreed to cremate the body without the guard of honour. However, they retracted from their demands only after the officials assured financial assistance to the bereaved family.

Sub-divisional magistrate of Deeg, Hemant Kumar, while speaking to reporters, confirmed that the guard of honour was not accorded. The funeral pyre was lit by 11-year-old Krish, son of the late soldier.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2020 04:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).