Bodies of five other Kargil martyrs were brought back along with the 22-year-old Lieutenant's body. Only Lt Verma's family was at the ceremony; others had not been able to come.

``As a parent, it is a loss to us; but it is also a loss to the defence,'' said Col Verma. Lt Verma's mother had been told of her son's death just before the family was due to arrive for the handing over of the bodies.

``I know this couple lived for this boy. They were so dependent on him. He was such a lively person. He was closer to me than my own brother,''said Lt Verma's sister-in-law Seema Nandan. ``We did not tell his mother that he had died. She would not be able to take it. We told her in steps. First, we told her he was wounded, then we said he was seriously wounded, then critical, then incoma. She has just been told about half an hour ago,'' said Seema.

Having joined the Indian Military Academy in July 1997, Verma passed out in December 1998. His course mates were Capt Amol Kalia, Capt Sumit Roy and Lt Vijayant Thapar -- all martyrs. Amit could have been another MBA, said his family. But he opted for the Army. ``He was already studying at Symbiosis Institute, Pune, when he got in the Army and decided to join it,''said Seema. ``When we asked him why, he said he wanted to die in action and not in peace.''

``The people who sit across the table and talk about the LoC, if they just think of the people who lost their children: For Amit's parents, it is the restart of life at 60,''she said.

A chair was given to Amit's mother Kusum, who appeared shaken, as the solemn ceremony began. When the family approached her son's coffin, Kusum bent down to kiss him. His sisters could not believe that he was not going to come back.``He told me he will be coming back, this couldn't be him,'' said one ofthem.

The others whose bodies arrived yesterday included Naik Kalu Ram Jakhar of 17 Jat Regiment, Naik Ram Pal of 9 Mahar Regiment, Naik Bhajan Bhai Shaji of 12 Mahar, Naik S Nivasan Patra of 12 Mahar and Sepoy Prem Pal of 9 Mahar Regiment.