Bhopal, Sep 8 (IANS): The last rites of Army jawan Pradeep Patel, who died in a road accident in Sikkim's Pakyong recently, were performed with military honours at his native village in Madhya Pradesh's Katni district on Saturday.

The mortal remains of the soldier were brought to Khajuraho airport in the afternoon, where Chief Minister Mohan Yadav paid tributes to the deceased jawan.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the parents of the deceased soldier.

The Chief Minister said that whether it is peacetime or wartime, army personnel discharge their duty with full dedication.

“The country will always be indebted to martyr Pradeep Patel for his unique contribution and dedication to the service of the nation. In Sanatan culture, there is no better fortune than sacrificing one’s life for the country,” Chief Minister Yadav said.

From the airport, the mortal remains were brought to Hardua village in Katni in a truck decorated with flowers and tri-colours and a long convoy of vehicles of local politicians, army men and police.

Madhya Pradesh BJP chief V.D. Sharma, whose Lok Sabha constituency Khajuraho covers Katni district, joined the last rites. Sharma was seen consoling the soldier's family.

Patel was among the four army jawans killed recently in a road accident when they were travelling from Pedong in West Bengal to Pakyong in Sikkim. Their truck lost control, went off the road, and fell into a gorge.

The three other jawans killed in the accident were Subedar K. Thangapandi from Tamil Nadu, craftsman W. Peter from Manipur, and Naik Gursev Singh from Haryana.