'Not in uniform yet he served like a soldier' Wife remembers official slain in Pak shelling during Op Sindoor

Jammu, May 7 (PTI) Nearly a year after senior Jammu and Kashmir bureaucrat Dr Raj Kumar Thapa was killed in Pakistan shelling in Rajouri in the wake of military escalations during Operation Sindoor, his wife on Thursday said the family still struggles to believe he is no more, but is proud that while 'not in uniform, he served like a soldier'.
    A 2001-batch Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer, Thappa was serving as additional district development commissioner (ADDC) of Rajouri when he was killed on May 10 last year after a Pakistan artillery shell struck his residential quarters during intense shelling in the border district.
    Recalling the tragedy ahead of the first anniversary of his death, his wife Dr Meenakshi Kundan Thapa said his martyrdom was a deeply personal and painful reality.
    "The word (martyrdom) sounds grand when we hear it in books, but only those who endure loss understand its true meaning. Martyrdom is also another name for death, and after that a person never returns," she said, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
    "It feels as if it happened just yesterday. It is still hard to believe, and sometimes the heart simply refuses to accept that it has really happened," she said.
    She said the family -- especially their children -- still finds it difficult to come to terms with the loss. "Sometimes the children say maybe 'papa' is undercover and will return someday. We too feel at times that perhaps this is just a long dream from which we will wake up."
    Describing him as a 'soldier without uniform', Meenakshi said his commitment during the crisis matched that of frontline personnel.
    "He was not in uniform, yet he served like a frontline soldier, managing evacuations, monitoring situations and ensuring citizens' safety," she said.
    She said even a major tragedy in the family could not pull him away from duty.
    "He had a valid reason to come home as there had been a death of a minor child in the family and his presence was needed. But he said, 'If I leave now, it will be written as a failure on my part. Duty comes first'," she recalled.
    According to Meenakshi, her husband lived and died with an unwavering sense of duty that placed service above self and family.
    "From the day the shelling began, he had not returned home for several days. He was moving in shelling-affected areas to monitor evacuation. He stayed in his official quarters, even though it was among the most unsafe areas as it was the direct aim of enemy shelling," she said.
    "Still, he never thought of leaving. He was continuously serving people, coordinating evacuations and ensuring relief reached those in need," she added.
    Dr Thapa remained in constant communication with his family during the crisis, even as he worked on the ground.
    "The last night we spoke, he told me shelling had already intensified and more rounds were expected. He asked us to stay safe, avoid windows, and also called relatives to warn them. Yet, he never left his post because he believed it was his 'karmabhoomi (place of duty)'," Meenakshi said.
    She said Dr Thapa's sacrifice brought both pride and unbearable grief to the family. "We are proud that he departed wrapped in the Tricolour, with full state honours. But pride is one thing and personal loss is another," she said.
    She said his absence had left a void that could never be filled.
    "A home is made by the people living in it, not by its walls. He was the centre of our lives, our family, our community and our neighbourhood. Everyone knew him as 'Doctor sahib', a man who always met people with warmth and positivity," she said.
    "Even today, people come to us in tears saying they had never seen such an officer before. He lived in the hearts of the people," the aggrieved wife said.
    Reflecting on the human cost of conflict, she said innocent people often suffer the most during such hostilities.
    "It is very easy to say one or two people died. But only those who lose their loved ones know the pain they carry for a lifetime," she said, adding that no honour or compensation could truly fill the void left behind by a loved one's death.
    An MBBS graduate, Dr Thapa joined the JKAS in 2001 and was widely respected for his professional dedication and people-friendly approach.
    Before his tenure in Rajouri, he served as officer on special duty to former deputy chief minister Tara Chand from 2009 to 2014.
    Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on April 18 inaugurated a memorial museum and library in Rajouri, dedicated to the slain officer's legacy.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)