The aspiration to serve the Forces runs through Rakesh’s family. His elder sister is in Border Security Force (BSF), said his family and friends. His elder brother too, wanted to join the Forces but had to give up after meeting with an accident resulting in a leg injury.
Rakesh was the youngest among the four siblings. His dream of joining the Army came to an end on Friday.
He came from a poor family. His father is a farmer, and mother does odd jobs.
“He was very passionate about joining the Army,” said one of his friends. His cousin Pavan Kalyan said that he was studying too.
“Rakesh was agile and active and used to play volleyball and cricket,” said his friend Arun. “Firing on students was not right. They are not terrorists,” he added.