CRPF gives emotional tributes to its 2 slain personnel

Gaya, Feb 25: In a wreath laying ceremony attended by the top brass, the CRPF on Wednesday bid adieu to its two jawans killed in a landmine blast by Maoists in Gaya district of Bihar.

Eleven others were injured in the incident, yesterday. The bodies of Head Constable Gulab Yadav, a resident of Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh and Constable Narottam Das of Delhi, were brought with full honours to Gaya city.

CRPF Bihar Sector Inspector General (IG) Arun Kumar, Bihar Police Additional Director General (ADG) (Law and Order) Alok Raj and IG Operations Sushil M Khopde were present at the wreath laying ceremony.

The bodies of the slain personnel will now be sent to their native places. The incident had happened last evening near Nandai on Imamganj - Dumaria route while the paramilitary jawans and police personnel were moving during an anti-naxal operation.

The Maoists had planted an IED on the route and triggered it off when a mini-bus carrying CRPF personnel was passing over it. CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chiranjeev Prasad said four of the critically injured - Sub-Inspector Dilip Yadav, Head Constable Bandhan Oraon, constables Rajeev Ranjan and Venkatesh - have been airlifted by a helicopter to Ranchi.

"The four critically injured have been admitted to Apollo Hospital in Ranchi for better treatment. They could be sent by air ambulance to New Delhi," Prasad said. One injured jawan A Chandra has been referred to Patna for treatment.

The other injured personnel - Jai Kishore, Dhanraj Gaur, Vijendra Kumar, Prem Prakash, P Gangadhar and Kalam Ali - are receiving medical attention at Gaya itself.

The CRPF DIG said the families of the slain personnel will receive around Rs 80 lakh each including Rs 20 lakh of insurance money and Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia declared by the Bihar government.

Meanwhile, the security forces have launched a combing operation after surrounding the entire area where the IED was triggered.

PTI