AGRA: Six days after Gagan Punjabi , a resident of Agra , was gunned down in a pub in Congo during his tenure with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Uganda , top UN officials brought his body home wrapped in a UN flag.

The coffin containing Punjabi’s body reached Ansal courtyard (his home) around 4:30pm in an ambulance escorted by an official UN vehicle. Some 250 residents of the colony as well as the family’s acquaintances, gathered to pay their last respects.

Expressing condolences, Irenee Dabare, deputy country director (operation) of United Nations Development Programme, handed over the UN flag to Punjabi’s elder brother Rakesh, saying, “I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. He was a great soul.”

The coffin lid was opened by his inconsolable family members while his wife, Deepti, fell unconscious.

Those gathered to pay their respects to the martyr said officials from the local administration should have been present on the occasion. “It’s a shame that no one from the government came. He is a hero who gave up his life while serving people under the aegis of the United Nations,” said a family friend not willing to be identified.

The martyr’s younger sister, Priya Jain, told TOI: “He was a hero. He served the people of Africa for more than 12 years. The government should recognize his contribution.”

She added that her brother was the breadwinner of the 15-member extended family. “He left behind a two-year-old son. The government should give us compensation,” she added.

When asked why no government official was present to pay respects to Punjabi, district magistrate Pankaj Kumar said, “We are following the protocol. We will honour the family. We will definitely meet them once things have settled down. This is their moment of grief and we do not want to disturb them.”

Gagan Punjabi, was gunned down by a group of 15 masked men late on January 31 at a pub in Aru town of Congo, near the Uganda-Congo border. Punjabi was shot as he was celebrating the birthday party of a local resident in the eatery.

Punjabi, about 34 years old, was part of the UN’s MOVCON (movement-control) mission. His body arrived in Delhi on Thursday but was brought to Agra on Friday evening via Yamuna Expressway.

The attack of January 31 left 16 dead. Punjabi was the only victim who was part of a UN mission.

