(Palra) Jhajjar, November 22
The mortal remains of the Victoria Cross winner Captain (Honourary) Umrao Singh, were consigned to flames with full military and state honours in his native Palra village amid patriotic atmosphere as thousands of people rented the air with nationalistic slogans.

The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Chief of the Army Staff General JJ Singh, Major (retd) RK Gulia, president of the Ex-servicemen League and many other prominent military, and civil officials and politicians arrived here to pay homage to the last Indian hero of the World War II.

A Major of the Indian Army, Mr Negi offered wraths on behalf of the President of India, Mr APJ Abdul Kalam, the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the Minister of State for Defence on the pyre. Brigadier of the British Army Mr Ian Raas also arrived here from the British High Commission to offer wraths on behalf of the British Government.

Making a major announcement on the occasion, General JJ Singh disclosed that a special recruitment rally would be organised in the village within a week in which 25 youths of this village would be recruited in the Army.

Mr Hooda declared that this village would be developed as a model village and promised to build a memorial to Umrao Singh. He directed the Deputy Commissioner to prepare a project for infrastructure development of the village.

The pyre was lit by the elder son, Mr Vijay Yadav as thousands of persons, including woman and children, bid an emotional adieu to their hero by raising the slogans, "Umrao Singh amar rahe, and Bharat mata ki jai".

The contingents of the Indian Army and the Haryana police gave gun solute to the late Captain who died after a prolonged battle against cancer. The womenfolk sung patriotic songs on this occasion.

Earlier, his body covered in national flag was brought here from R&R hospital in Delhi in the morning.

Capt Umrao Singh had retired from the Army in 1970 as Subedar Major. He was conferred with the Victoria Cross after he single-handedly finished off a major Japanese offensive in Burma region in December 1944.

It is said that when he was spotted in the battleground in badly wounded condition, nearly 10 Japanese soldiers were lying around him as he apparently killed them.

Mr Vijay Yadav said that they were not confirmed about the date of birth of his father, while the British High Commission reportedly registered it as October 22, 1920.

He welcomed the Army chief's announcement to hold a recruitment rally in the village adding that one of his sons had wished to join the Army but could not due to medical reasons.