President Patil meets Deshmukh, visits families of martyred police officers

Mumbai, Dec.2 : President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today met Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh here and discussed the recent terrorist attacks in the city.

Officials accompanying the President said that she has asked the chief minister to send reports at regular intervals to her on the progress being made in the investigations.

President Patil also visited the bereaved families of slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and presented them each with cheques of Rs.25 lakh provided by the Maharashtra State Government.

Consoling the wives and children of the slain officers, she said: " I am here to give special respect to these heroes and console their wives of our national heroes. They gave the supreme sacrifice to the country. They are brave officers and duty conscious officers."

Urging the families of the slain officers not to feel dejected, she said that the Maharashtra Government would give them salaries drawn by their husbands that they would have earned till theu retired, a house each and a job to one person of each family.

Chief Minister Deshmukh was also present on the occasion. The meeting at each family's residence lasted for about ten minutes each.

Earlier in the day, the President met a Shiv Sena delegation, which urged her to impose President's Rule in Maharashtra as they felt that under the present Congress-NCP regime, law and order had become worse and the people of Maharashtra had lost confidence in the present government.

She also met Deshmukh separately. On Monday, she visited the J.J. Hospital to commiserate with the surviving victims of the terror attack. She also met the medical teams and praised them for their selfless round-the-clock service.

Patil will return to the national capital later this evening. By Ravinder Singh Robin

ANI