Jammu Mother Wraps Blanket Around Martyred Soldier's Statue Amid Brutal Cold: ‘How Could I Leave My Son?’

Winter mornings in Jammu bite hard. The air cuts through skin and even standing still for a few minutes feels uncomfortable. On one such cold day, Jaswant Kaur walked up to a statue that holds more meaning for her than words ever could. The statue belongs to her son, Constable Gurnam Singh, who was martyred in 2016. She wrapped a blanket around the statue.

The clip of the statue covered in a blanket has been going viral. To the social media users, it is just a mother doing what comes naturally. For her, the statue is not stone or metal. It is her child, standing silently in the cold.

माँ का प्यार जो कभी खत्म नहीं होता… 🫡

जम्मू में ठंड बढ़ने पर सरदारनी जसवंत कौर ने अपने शहीद बेटे कॉन्स्टेबल गुरनाम सिंह की मूर्ति पर कंबल डाल दिया, गुरनाम सिंह बीएसएफ

की 173वीं बटालियन में तैनात थे।

साल 2016 में उन्होंने सीमा पर आतंकियों की घुसपैठ को नाकाम किया और ड्यूटी के… pic.twitter.com/sqnikA3zHZ

— JIMMY (@Jimmyy__02) January 9, 2026

“I am a mother, and in this piercing cold, where we struggle to keep ourselves warm, how could I leave my son’s statue exposed to the bone-chilling cold?” she told NDTV.

He Died Defending The Border

Gurnam Singh was killed on the night of October 21–22, 2016, in the Hira Nagar sector while guarding India’s border. A sniper’s bullet ended his life during heightened tension along the frontier. He was on duty, doing what soldiers are trained to do.

Just a day earlier, Gurnam had stopped an infiltration attempt. Under the cover of heavy shelling, Pakistani forces were trying to push terrorists across the border. Gurnam stood his ground. He killed one terrorist and forced the others to retreat. That act likely saved lives on the Indian side.

The following night, he did not make it back.

“For Her, He Is Still Alive”

To the country, Gurnam Singh is remembered as a soldier who died in service. To his mother, the distinction does not exist. He is not a memory or a photograph framed on a wall. He is her son, present everywhere for her.

Her brother, Kulwinder Singh, spoke about what that sacrifice truly means. “If you see the tricolour fluttering, it’s not just because of blowing wind; it’s the last breath of soldiers like Gurnam and others on the ground,” he said.

Neighbours echo the same sentiment. Ashwani, who lives close to Jaswant Kaur, put it simply: “For others, Gurnam is just another soldier who gave his life for the nation. But for his mother, he is a son, a part of her very being.”

How The Internet Reacted

The image also triggered an outpouring of reactions online, with users struggling to put the emotion into words. One comment read, “This broke me. A mother never stops being a mother, even after sacrifice.” Another wrote, “People talk about martyrs, but this shows what their families live with every single day.” A user said, “No statue is a cold stone for a mother. It’s still her child.” Several others echoed the same sentiment, calling the moment “heartbreaking,” “pure,” and “impossible to forget.”