One of three bodies that reached Kolkata airport Tuesday. Source: Subham Dutta
http://indianexpress.com/article/in...y-remember-us-now-teen-daughter-asks-4628525/
ASI Sanjay Kumar was a role model for his two daughters and the pride of his father Rajendra Prashad, 83, who too had served in the CRPF. He was one of two jawans from Himachal Pradesh among the 25 killed in Sukma.
Between her tears, Sanjay’s teenage daughter Amisha Sharma, a 10+2 student, also expressed her anger. “People just come, shed some tears and give assurances. A few days later, maybe after a week, the families are left to their fate. Everyday, brave jawans are getting killed but the government and politicians just don’t do anything,” Amisha said.
Amisha said her father, who was last home for Holi, had always taken delight in the education of his daughters; the younger one, Kashish, is in class VII. “I was tongue-tied whenever I tried to speak to him,” Amisha said. “Despite being posted in tough areas hit by insurgency, never did he let the family feel his absence or feel that he was in a challenging job. He has laid down his life for the country but will his family be cared for or left to fend for themselves?”
District SP Sanjeev Gandhi and additional district magistrate (Kangra) Richa Verma escorted the body from the airport to his village, where he was creamted. Sanjay’s father, who had suffered a brain haemorrhage some time ago, attended the last rites .
The other jawan from Himachal Pradesh was head constable Surinder Kumar, 33, from Ner Chowk in Mandi district. He had left home only 10 days ago, after a holiday with his wife Kiran and daughter Iliena, 29, on the Wagah border. Relatives say Surinder Kumar had faced two Maoist encounters earlier.
http://indianexpress.com/article/in...f-25-jawans-reactions-of-politicians-4629559/
By:
Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: April 26, 2017 10:47 pm
Gun salute to Sukma martyrs (Express Photo)
At least 25 CRPF personnel laid down their lives, when hundreds of Naxals lodged a deadliest attack in Chattisgarh’s Sukma district on Monday. The target of the attack was the 99-member CRPF battalion when they were providing a security cover to a road construction project.
Here are the reactions of our leaders
Home Minister Rajnath Singh: This is a cold-blooded murder. The sacrifice of our jawans will not go in vain. Naxalites are using tribals as fodder. Tribals are being used as human shields. The attack was out of desperation. They (Maoists) are against the ongoing development in the tribal areas. But we will not let them succeed. If needed, we will review the anti-Naxalite strategy.
Randeep Surjewala: Did BJP-led Chattisgarh government learn any lesson? Is it not a clear case of Intelligence failure on part of Central and state government? How does the present government propose to tackle Naxalites? The Prime Minister should take decisive action against anti-national forces, who are directly challenging the might of the nation.
Digvijaya Singh alleged govt’s deal with Naxals: I have said this before and am repeating, that Raman Singh and all those BJP leaders who have won from Naxalism-hit areas have struck a deal with Naxals and there is some exchange between them
Demonetisation didn’t solve Naxal issue, says Rahul Gandhi: “Last heard ‘demonetization’ was the Govt’s strategy to neutralize Naxalism. I hope the ‘revised’ strategy has a little more purpose & impact,” twee
ted Rahul.
Cong for President’s rule in Chhattisgarh: Dubbing the attack a “heinous act”, the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) president Bhupesh Baghel has alleged that the Raman Singh government was responsible for the tragedy. “Raman Singh has been the head of the unified command (of naxal-hit states) for the past 13 years, but even after that there is no coordination between Central armed forces and the state police,” Baghel said. “The BJP government in the state should be dismissed and president’s rule should be imposed,” he added.
Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar blamed the lack of coordination:
The lack of coordination between security forces as well as inadequate security provided to personnel involved in anti-naxal operations for the rising attacks on the forces. The government should revamp the government’s anti-naxal strategy to prevent he forces fro possible attacks by the extremists
“If the government brings a law in the parliament saying that every martyr will get Rs 1 crore compensation, we wil support it,” he said
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury calls for public accountability
Criticising the Centre, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted, “Today’s tragedy also calls for political responsibility and public accountability. Will we see anyone own this failure?”
The helicopter carrying CoBRA commandos that crash-landed in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district.(Photo: ANI Twitter)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...arh-s-sukma/story-s5V2wSImJaoe3ZgLRobqwN.html
A private helicopter carrying CoBRA commandos crashlanded on Wednesday near a CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, resulting in minor injuries to five occupants.
Officials said two officers and a commando of the elite jungle warfare unit of the CoBRA were among the five people who received injuries in the crash that took place around 5.30pm near the Chintagupha camp of the paramilitary force, deep in the Maoist hotbed of south Bastar.
They said the pilot and the engineer of the Bell-206 helicopter, hired on lease by the CRPF for anti-Maoist operations in the state, were also injured.
“All the three officials of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, which is CoBRA, and the two crew members are safe now,” a senior officer said.
They said an inquiry is on to ascertain the reason of the crash, which could be a technical snag.
The commanding officer of a CoBRA battalion deployed in Chhattisgarh, his second-in-command and a jawan had gone to Chintagupha for a meeting, they said.
CRPF Director General Sudeep Lakhtakia was present in the area for reviewing operations in the aftermath of the April 24 ambush.
The Chintagupha camp of the Central Reserve Police Force is deep inside Sukma and two days ago, Maoists killed 25 CRPF personnel in a deadly ambush near here in an area called Burkapal.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...enied-leave/story-O2rbIYayeS0fefQDpspW9N.html
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...enied-leave/story-O2rbIYayeS0fefQDpspW9N.html
High drama preceded the cremation of central reserve police force (CRPF) jawan Abhay Mishra,near his native Tulsi Harigaon village in Jagdishpur (Bhojpur district) of south central Bihar, on Wednesday.
The funeral pyre of Mishra, one of the 25 troopers who fell during a Maoist attack at Sukma (Chattisgarh), on Monday, was lit by his two-year-old son Ayush, in the presence of his tearful relatives and co-villagers, hailing his martyrdom.
The funeral took place at a hurried levelled tract of land next to the Ara-Buxar highway, lying close to Abhay;s village, located about 20 km west of the Bhojpur district headquarters town of Ara,
Before the cremation got underway, the slain CRPF jawan’s widow, Rani, inconsolable in her grief and facing a bleak future, with the sole bread-winner of the family gone, was in for another shock.
The district authorities, she found, had roped in local JD (U) MLA Ram Vishun Singh Lohiya (Jagdishpur), to hand over to her as ex gratia a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. She refused, saying the amount offered on behalf of the state government was “too meagre”.
The widow pointed out that some other state governments had offered Rs 11 lakh, to other CRPF personnel killed along with her husband, at Sukma.
Caught in a bind, the district authorities then took the help of a local social activist to convince her to accept the cheque, on the promise that her demand for a larger amount would be forwarded to the state government by the district authorities.
But this was not the only grouse to be be aired by Abhay Mishra’s family.
Mishra’s widow also wondered aloud why her husband was not posted elsewhere when he had completed three years in Chattisgarh, a hotbed of Maoist violence. “My husband had requested a transfer but no cognisance was taken of that. Besides, though he was already injured, he was not given a bullet proof jacket”, she said.
Other family members said Abhay had suffered a bullet injury in his thigh about a month ago but wasn’t granted leave to come home.
Mishra’s death, his younger brother said, also meant severe financial hardship for the family. “My father Gajendra Mishra is a marginal farmer and barely makes ends meet,” said Amit.
Jagdishpur SDO Balmukund Prasad said the body of the martyr reached Ara at 11 pm on Tuesday. But his family said they could not perform Abhay’s funeral at night. As such, the body was kept at the Ara police lines and sent to Tulsi Harigaon at 5 am on Wednesday.
CRPF personnel and the local police gave a guard of honour to Abhay, before his cremation.
CRPF DIG H S Mal, Jagdishpur MLA Ram Vishun Singh Lohiya, former Sandesh MLA Sanjay Singh Tiger, former MLA Bhai Dinesh, Bhojpur SP Kshatranil Singh, DDC Inayat Khan and the Jagdishpur SDO were among those present on the occasion.
No Bihar minister attended the funeral.
“Neither the CM nor any representative of state government was present when the bodies of the martyrs, a total of six from Bihar, reached the Patna airport”, said Tiger, a BJP state spokesman.
Parents of CRPF martyr Babulal. (HT Photo)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/luckn...xal-attacks/story-EDG1jUkLBzy01IkBWMRNGL.html
Days after 25 CRPF personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in Sukma district of Chattisgarh, the relatives of brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice before them have called for a final battle.
Three families in rural areas of Allahabad, based on their experiences of unfulfilled promises by the governments of the day, are demanding a proper system of regular follow up to ensure timely action.
They have demanded that the government should launch a decisive battle to free the nation of Naxal menace.
“Tall promises are made at the time of every such incident but governments rarely fulfil promises. My daughter-in-law Rekha, wife of my martyred son Babulal, has not received pension for the last four months. She was pregnant when my son died in line of duty. Her son Ansh is now three years’ old. We have raised him on stories of bravery of his father but shouldn’t the government ensure dignity for the family of soldiers?” asks Munni Lal, 70, a resident of Shivlal-ka-Pura village in Nawabganj, Allahabad.
Babulal, a CRPF jawan, died in a gunbattle with Naxals in the jungles of Latehar in Jharkhand on January 8, 2013.
Munni Lal, his wife Jagpati Devi, 65, daughter-in-law Rekha and grandson Ansh depend on the pension.
“At the time of Babulal’s martyrdom, the chief minister, MP, MLA and DM all made a number of promises but they remain unfulfilled. The then MP Kapil Muni Karwariya had promised money for a memorial and urged the gram sabha to make land available for it. I visited Vikas Bhawan in Allahabad city a number of times but was informed there is no provision for a construction of a memorial under the MP’s fund,” said Munni Lal.
He even visited the CM’s residence thrice to forward his application but in vain.
“Even the gate constructed at the village in the honour of Babulal is in a pathetic condition for want of funds,” he added.
“The government should avenge the sacrifice made by my son and others like him by finishing off the Naxals,” said Jagpati with tears in her eyes.
Suresh Kumar Tiwari, 62, a resident of Jurapur Biher village of Holagarh tehsil in Allahabad, is equally upset. His son Varun Tiwari, a CRPF jawan, died when a landmine blew up a CRPF vehicle in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on June 15, 2015.
“My wife and I are surviving somehow. The promises of three bigha land and a memorial for my son were made by the leaders but nothing happened. I met district administration officials many a times but no action was taken,” said Suresh Tiwari who has now sent a letter to new UP CM Yogi Adityanath seeking his intervention.
Two of Varun’s three daughters, Sonika and Monika, are now married but Suresh is more worried about the marriage of his youngest granddaughter Anamika.
“We had applied for a government job for Anamika on compassionate grounds but the department says a clearance from home ministry is required. The promise of a petrol pump and gas agency have also not materialised,” he added.
“Our soldiers are being killed and mutilated by the Naxals but the government is dragging its feet on action against them. I call for an all out battle to wipe out such forces,” he added.
In Bajaha village of Nawabganj, Prithvi Lal and his wife Prabha Devi had lost their son Mukesh on December 1, 2014. Mukesh died fighting the Naxals at Hathigumpha in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.
“We were surviving on a pension of Rs 17,800 but it has also been stopped since January 2017. The present deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had promised a memorial for my son at that time while the DM had promised two bigha land. The memorial was never constructed while the land allotted to us was a disputed one. We are yet to get its possession,” shared Prabha Devi.
Prithvi Lal said even the hand-pump promised by the then MLA Ansar Ahmad has not been installed. “I believe if the government becomes resolute, the menace can be uprooted. It is time for a proper offensive and a policy to end Naxalism,” he added.
Prithvi Lal’s daughter Manita has been appointed in CRPF on compassionate grounds and is presently undergoing training. “My daughter will lead the attack if government goes all out against the naxals,” he said.
Ranveer Singh, father of the martyr, with the body of his son in Nagla Dandi village of Etah district on Wednesday morning. (HT Photo)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...axal-attack/story-qCuEWM9AeN7Nl0zMZMPYQP.html
CRPF jawan Kishan Pal Singh, who lost his life in an ambush by Maoists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Monday, was cremated with full honours in his paternal village Nagla Dangi in Etah on Wednesday.
Ministers SP Singh Baghel and Atul Garg, officials of CRPF, police department and the district administration also paid tribute to the martyr.
The state government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 31 lakh to Singh’s family out of which a cheque of Rs 25 lakh was handed over to them on Wednesday.
The martyr’s body reached Nagla Dandi on Wednesday morning. Ranveer Singh, 85, father of Kishan Pal, broke down on seeing his son’s body and was consoled by DIG, CRPF, JS Sandhu. Women from the village consoled Kishan Pal’s wife Saroj Devi.
As Ranveer Singh lit the funeral pyre at 10.15 am, people shouted slogans hailing Kishan Pal’s supreme sacrifice for the country’s security.
Cabinet minister SP Singh Baghel said the cheque of Rs 25 lakh had been handed over to the family. “The state government has announced the relief of Rs 20 lakh for the martyr’s wife and Rs 5 lakh for his father. Additional relief of Rs 6 lakh from the welfare fund will also be provided to the family,” he said.
DIG, CRPF, JS Sandhu handed over Rs 50,000 cash as initial relief for cremation. SSP, Etah, Satyarth Aniruddh Pankaj, district magistrate Amit Kishore and local MLA Satya Pal Singh Rathore also paid floral tribute to the CRPF head constable.
The officials promised that a road would be named after the martyr and land would be identified for a cremation ground in the village.
Kishan Pal was second among five brothers. His elder brother is employed at irrigation department while his younger brothers are farmers. His father is a farmer while his mother is no more.
“It was tough to believe that my brother has been killed in a Maoist attack. Initially, we did not inform our father but he became anxious when he found villagers reaching the house. When he was finally given the tragic news, he broke down. Kishan had been calling him frequently on phone after our mother’s death,” said Kishan Pal’s brother Devendra.
“Kishan Pal last came here in November 2016. He was expected home on April 18 with his leave sanctioned till April 24. He, however, informed us that his leave was cancelled due to Maoist activity in the area,” he said.
Villagers recollect that Kishan Pal Singh was recruited to the CRPF at Rampur in the late 1980s and was married to Saroj Devi. The villagers demanded strong action to crush Maoists.
Jawans at Patna airport give a gun salute to CRPF personnel killed by Maoists in Sukma district on Monday. (PTI photo)
CRPF officers pay tributes to slain jawans who were killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.(PTI File Photo)
As the last rites of CRPF ASI Naresh Kumar and Constable Ram Mehar, killed in the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, were conducted in Haryana with full state honours, the families demanded that the government deal with the rebels with an iron hand.
The bodies of the two martyrs, wrapped in the tricolour, were brought in bedecked vehicles to their native villages and a large number of people including from neighbouring areas paid homage.
A gun salute was also given to them as a mark of respect.
ASI Kumar, hailing from Jainpur village in Sonipat district of Haryana, and Constable Mehar, a native of Kheri Man Singh village in Karnal district, were killed on Monday.
Haryana ministers Kavita Jain and Karan Dev Kamboj were among others present at the cremation of the two martyrs at Sonipat and Indri in Karnal, respectively.
MLAs of the area, senior CRPF officials and those of the civil and police administration were also present at Sonipat and Karnal.
While consoling the family members of the martyr, Kavita Jain broke down and termed the Sukma attack as an act of cowardice.
Kamboj told reporters that the panchayat of Mehar’s native village has demanded that a stadium in the area be named after the martyr.
The minister said the government will consider their demand.
Puran Chand, father of Mehar, said the government should give a free hand to the security forces to deal with Naxalites sternly
“Enemies hiding within the country have been killing our soldiers. The government must tackle this issue with an iron hand,” he added.
Mehar is survived by wife and a minor son and daughter. Kumar is survived by wife Rajbala Devi, a daughter and two school-going sons.
Like Mehar’s family, Rajbala asked the Union government to take strict action against perpetrators of the crime.
“If attacks by Maoists are not stopped immediately they would keep inflicting heavy casualty on our forces,” she said.
