Tribals tonsure their head as homage to Sahib Singh Verma

Kendrapada, July 9 (UNI) As a tribute to the departed soul of former Delhi chief minister and BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma, over fifty tribals in three coastal villages in Orissa, tonsured their heads and organised a condolence meeting at Ranibandhi yesterday.

According to sources, over 500 tribals of Ranibandhi, Kabarabad, and Khandiabandhi tonsured their heads to pay respect to the BJP leader who recently died in a road accident.

Later, the tribals took out a procession from Chattia carrying the ashes and bones of the deceased leader in a pot and reached Ranibandhi.

A condolence meeting was organised near Ranibandhi where former minister Amar Prasad Satapathy, State Coopertion Minister Surma Padhi, Orissa BJP President Suresh Pujari, the son-in-law of Sahib Singh Verma and other local politial leaders attended the meeting.

The tribals who tonsured their heads recalled how the former Delhi chief minister had played a good Samaritan's role for them during the 1999 Super Cyclone which devastated the coastal districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Jajpur.

According to Brahmanada Dash, Mr Verma had paid a visit to the tribal dominated area after the Super cyclone and later helped in the construction of pucca houses for at least 110 tribal families with the help of an NGO to rehabilitate them and also provided the basic amenities.

UNI