Kanpur: The mortal remains of Merchant Navy officer Sagar Gupta, who was killed in a drone attack in Ukraine, reached his residence in Kanpur on Wednesday evening, triggering scenes of grief as family members and neighbours gathered to pay their last respects.His wife Shalu Gupta and mother Ramadevi broke down on seeing the coffin, while other family members, including his niece Lakshmi, sister-in-law Jyoti and elder sister Pooja, were inconsolable.Sagar’s elder brother, Manish Gupta, described him as a martyr and said the family had requested the government to provide a tricolour to drape over his body. “As it was not provided, I bought one from the market myself,” he said before covering the coffin with the national flag.District administration officials reached the residence after being informed of the family’s demands. In their presence, the family sought martyr status for Sagar, a government job for his wife and compensation of ₹2 crore. They said they would not perform the last rites until these demands were addressed. The body has been kept in a deep freezer.A resident of Shastri Nagar in Kanpur, Sagar Gupta joined Avon Navigators Marines Private Limited, based in Navi Mumbai, through the Directorate General of Shipping in 2018. At the time of his death, he was serving as a Chief Officer in the Merchant Navy.His body was flown from Moscow to New Delhi by air ambulance on Wednesday morning and later brought to Kanpur by ambulance by his elder brother Manish Gupta and brother-in-law Shobhit.Sagar’s niece, Lakshmi, submitted a memorandum to Sadar Tehsildar Vinay Kumar Dwivedi, demanding martyr status for Sagar, adequate compensation and a government job for one family member.Sagar is survived by his wife Shalu, five-year-old daughter Gauri, seven-month-old son Krishna, mother Ramadevi, elder brother Manish Gupta, sister-in-law Jyoti Gupta and two nephews.
