About a dozen members of the Coimbatore chapter of the Anjana Patel Samaj gathered at the at Rajasthani Sangh hall in the city to mourn the death of its member, 26-year-old Ramesh Kumar, a soldier in the Indian Army, who lost his life fighting in the Kashmir Valley on September 17.

Joraram Patel, president of the Anjana Patel Samaj’s Coimbatore chapter, said, “Eyewitness from the battlefield in Kashmir has conveyed that Ramesh was wounded while facing the enemy. An injured Ramesh killed two men from the opposition side.”

Ramesh Kumar was born and brought up in Sirohi district in Rajasthan, and was the first member of the Anjana Patel clan to join the armed forces. He is survived by two siblings who are into agriculture in Sirohi district.

The Anjana Patel clan are the descendants of the ancient settlers from Sirohi district of Rajasthan. The community has relocated and settled down all over the country and has adopted the local traditions. About 300 families from Sirohi district have made Coimbatore their home.

“Apart from speaking Tamil with a North Indian slang, these families have adopted the Tamil culture. And they are all members of the Coimbatore chapter of the Anjana Patel Samaj,” Joraram said.

Babulal Jain, president of the Rajasthani Sangh, and its members attended the condolence meeting.