Khairair (UP), Jan 14: Into the sixth day of their fast, the family of martyred soldier Hemraj today refused to taken "even liquid" saying they will not end their protest till Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh visits their house and assure them that his severed head will be brought back.
Hemraj's wife Dharamvati, mother Meena and cousin Narendra have taken nothing but intravenous fluid as their condition deteriorated while doctors kept a close watch and examined them at regular intervals.
Dr Harshwardhan, Medical Officer of Chatha Public Health Centre, said, "The family is refusing even to take any liquids. But we are maintaining there vital parameters.
Dharamvati is being given IV fluid." "We are not going to call off our fast if a leader comes here and request us to do so. We want the Army chief to come here and assure us that he will get Hemraj's head back from Pakistan. Only then we will call off our fast," Narendra, who is on fast, told PTI.
The family's demands came as the Army Chief addressed a press conference in New Delhi and said the beheading of two Indian soldiers in Pak Army attack was unacceptable.
He said the Army understands the grief of the families of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives as they are "our families too" and they will make all attempts to ease the pain and suffering of Lance Naik Hemraj's family.
Pakistan Army regulars had infiltrated inside Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and killed and mutilated the bodies of Lance Naiks Sudhakar Singh and Hemraj on January eight.
At the village, 160 km far from Delhi and 50 km from Mathura, a large number of police personnel were deployed and almost the whole village had assembled near the house and village 'choupal' (common meeting place).
Villagers, who sat at the choupal in solidarity with the family, and relatives said Hemraj was very keen that his children -- Nirmala (7), Prince (5) and Kallu (3) -- get education and three months ago had shifted to a house in Chatha, which is a little far away, because it had a school.
"He had made a house in Chatha because it had a school.
His first two children are already in school and for them, he decided to get a house there," Draupal Singh, uncle of Hemraj's wife, said.
Hemraj was recruited in the Army in 2001 and he got married to Dharamvati three years later. According to relatives, he had booked tickets to come to his village on February seven.
