Patna: Air Force jawan Kunal Kumar (27), who hailed from Khagaria district, had to join duty on May 11 amid Operation Sindoor, barely four days after he got married on May 7 as his leave got cancelled.Now as the tension eased, he couldn’t wait to meet his new wife and family with stories of Indian valour, and applied for leave, which was granted too.But destiny had something else in store. The man, for whom sky was the limit, fell down while alighting Guwahati-Jammu Tawi Amarnath Express as it slowed at Gauchhari railway station, and died on the spot, barely a few hours before he could reach home at Gauchhari Khatha Nagar Parishad under Gogri police station.Kunal was travelling back home from New Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway station to the Bagdogra camp in West Bengal, where he was stationed. He knew that the Guwahati-Jammu Tawi Amarnath Express did not have a stoppage at Gauchhari railway station, his destination. But an excited Kunal tried to get down from the train when its speed slowed while passing by platform number 1 of Gauchhari railway station in Barauni-Katihar railway section.

Gauchhari railway station GRP in charge, Dhananjay Kumar, said the police were investigating the incident after sending the body for postmortem to the sadar hospital.“The train does not stop at Gauchhari railway station. The accident took place probably when the train might have slowed and he tried to get down,” he told reporters.According to media reports, his wife Kavita fainted on hearing the news of his death.His father, Ramvilas Sah, fumbled for words on the loss of his only son, who had many dreams to serve the country.“Due to the tensions following the air strikes by India on Pakistan, his leave was cancelled. He went to Ghaziabad on May 11 to join Operation Sindoor. From there he was sent to Bagdogra camp. After the tensions eased, he was returning home after taking leave, but died after falling from the train at Gauchhari railway station,” Ramvilas said.(With inputs from N P Thakur in Khagaria)