GHAZIABAD: As India celebrates the return of IAF fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, a pall of gloom has descended on Ghaziabad’s Patla village — the home of 33-year-old CRPF jawan Vinod Chaudhary, who was among the four security personnel killed in a gunfight with militants in J&K’s Kupwara district on Friday.“It’s sad that we lost him, but we are proud that he sacrificed his life for the country,” Vinod’s elder brother Virender told mediapersons visiting their home on Saturday. The family received the news of Vinod’s death from a CRPF officer around 8 pm on Friday, following which local residents have been flocking their house. His body will reach the village on Sunday morning, after which the cremation will take place.The family members said Vinod spoke to them on Friday morning moments before joining his colleagues to eliminate the militants.“He gave his life for the nation. Now, I expect the government to take strict action against militants and confront Pakistan once and for all,” Virender said.“We want a revenge for Vinod’s killing,” his wife Neetu added. A son of a farmer, Vinod joined CRPF’s 92 battalion in 2004 after completing his BA from Chaudhary Charan Singh University and had been stationed in Kupwara since 2016. “From his school days, he wanted to join the forces. In 2008, he was sent to Srinagar for the first time. After a four-year stint there, he was posted in Jharkhand. Again after four years, he was sent back to Kashmir in 2016,” Virender said.SP Singh, another family member, said, “He was fit and fine till his death. Whenever I met him, he always talked about games and the area of his posting.”Youngest of four brothers, Vinod is survived by his wife and two children — son Anshu (8 years) and daughter Anvi (5 years). His father Charan Singh died a year ago.

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