Son Now a Captain in Kargil Martyr’s Battalion Savita Samprit, 55, of Pulgaon in Wardha district, recalls the day her relatives hesitantly broke the news of her husband, Naik Krishna Samrit, dying in the mountains during the Kargil War 27 years ago. At the time, she was pregnant with her younger son, Prajwal, who is now serving as a captain in the 17th Maratha Light Infantry (MLI), the regiment her late husband once belonged to. “It makes me proud and also anxious,” she says, reflecting on Prajwal’s current posting in a sensitive area. “Sometimes I worry about him. He always wanted to join the Army since matriculation, and I did not discourage him either.” Prajwal, now a captain, appeared for the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS) and chose the Army over admission to a management school. After completing training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, he opted to join his father’s unit, the 17 MLI, and was granted the choice. “He preferred to be with his father’s regiment,” says Savita. Prajwal has had the opportunity to meet some of his father’s former colleagues, now junior commissioned officers (JCOs), who regard him as “Krishnaji’s son as well as captain in the battalion.” Retired soldiers in the regiment also maintain a close bond with Prajwal, sharing stories and support. Savita, who has struggled with life after her husband’s death, worked at the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Services (ECHS) Hospital in Wardha while raising her two children. Her elder son is an engineer, while Prajwal’s path has been shaped by his father’s legacy. Naik Krishna was posted in Poonch during the Kargil War and was wounded by enemy bullets on July 27, 1999.#kargil_war #savita_samprit #prajwal_samprit #17th_maratha_light_infantry #kargil_vijay_diwas
