Aasha Khosa/New Delhi

In May 2017, news of a brutal ambush along the Line of Control in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, sent shockwaves through the country. Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of the Indian Army had been killed and his body mutilated by Pakistan's Border Action Team— terrorists disguised as Pakistani army men.

The loss left his family and village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district devastated.

Among those deeply affected by the tragedy were two civil servants from Himachal Pradesh: Yunus Khan, then District Magistrate of Kullu, and his wife Anjum Ara, Superintendent of Police in Solan. Moved not only by patriotism but by a profound sense of duty, the couple contacted the family and soon visited the Veinpuin village to pay their respects to the martyr and to be his bereaved family.

Yunus Khan with Khushpreet (third from right), her siblings and mother Paramjit Kaur (extreme right) dsuring one of his recent visits to their home

Yunus Khan first contacted Paramjit’s brother on the phone and told him that he and his wife wanted to be there for the martyr’s family. “When Paramjit Singh’s body arrived, the pain in the eyes of his wife and three children was something we couldn’t turn away from.”

As Khan and his wife held Paramjit's young daughter, Khushdeep Kaur, the couple found themselves grappling with a life-changing decision. “It wasn’t just about emotion—it was about commitment,” says Anjum. “We had to ask ourselves: can we stand by this child not just today, but for years to come?”

Tap HERE to watch video on Anjum Ara and Yunus Khan

After moments of reflection, they chose to take full responsibility for Khushdeep’s education and emotional well-being, without uprooting her from her family or village. She would continue living with her mother and siblings in Punjab, while “Shimla wale Uncle and Aunty” were there for her and her family.

Anjum Ara (extreme right) and Yunus Khan with young Khushdeep Kaur (sitting in Yunus Khan's lap) with her family

Today, Khushdeep is a bright Class 12 student with dreams. “ She called recently and asked for a laptop,” Yunus says. “I told her not to settle for a cheap one and sent her a proper model. Sometimes I have to keep our needs on hold since Khushdeep’s needs are our top priority, but the joy it brings far outweighs the cost.”

The bond has deepened over the years. The families celebrate Rakshabandhan, Eid, and Diwali together. “ My son ties a rakhi on Khushdeep and her sister Simrandeep every year,” says Anjum. “They’ve become his sisters in every sense.”

The arrangement was made with full transparency and dignity. “We discussed everything with Paramjit Kaur, the martyr’s wife, and Army officials,” Yunus explains. “We didn’t want to take the child away from her home. We only wanted to extend our home to include hers.”

Anjum Ara and Yunus Khan with martyr Paramjit Singh's family at their house soon after his martydom

The connection goes beyond support. Yunus treats Paramjit Kaur like a sister, fulfilling cultural and emotional duties typical of a Punjabi family. “I may be a bureaucrat, but I’m also a brother, a father figure, and above all, a fellow Indian.”

The Khans regularly visit the family and host them in Shimla. He visited Khushdeep in March and is looking forward to his visit to the Veinpuin village in June. “Khushdeep speaks to me or my wife almost daily on the phone.”

Khan and Anjum are committed to taking care of Khshdeep Kaur, but they are also there to help the family in all matters. "They are family," says Yunus Khan.

Yunus, a 2010-batch IAS officer from Malerkotla, Punjab, is now the Commissioner of State Tax and Excise in Himachal Pradesh. He’s known for his fearless stance against the sand mafia, once narrowly escaping an attempt on his life. Anjum Ara, a 2011-batch IPS officer, hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and currently serves as DIG, South Shimla.

The couple has a son, younger to Khushdeep.

Yunus Khan at the Malerkotla Railway Station

Yunus Khan says his wife Anjum Ara is from Lucknow and a different cultural milieu, he was surprised to see her bond with Paramjit’s Punjabi family.

They credit their families for standing by them. “My mother said, ‘Ordinary people live for themselves. Greatness lies in living for others,” Yunus recalls. “That’s the principle we’re trying to live by. And as such Indians believe in brotherhood.”

As for Khushdeep’s future, there are whispers that she might follow in the couple’s footsteps and become a civil servant. Yunus, however, is cautious: “We want her to pursue whatever she loves. Our job is to empower her, not to decide her path. We don’t want to place the burden of expectations on her.”

In a time when gestures often remain symbolic, Yunus Khan and Anjum Ara have shown what it truly means to honour a soldier’s sacrifice—not with words, but with enduring action and a promise that extends beyond politics, postings, or press.

Anjum Ara with their son

ALSO READ: Farah Usmani's campaign to break stereotype of Indian Muslim women

The couple celebrated last Diwali with Army jawans at the Longowal sector near the India-Pakistan border. “Our bond with the forces is personal now,” says Anjum. “When we light a lamp, it’s for those who guard the nation.”