Pulwama attack: Grief stricken families perform last rites of martyrs

New Delhi, Feb 16: The mortal remains of most of the CRPF jawans who were martyred in the dastardly terrorist attack in Pulwama on Thursday reached their hometowns today and hundreds of people joined the families to pay their last respects.

Mortal remains of Bablu Santra and Sudip Biswas

A sombre farewell was given to two CRPF jawans from West Bengal, who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack, at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Saturday. As the coffins of the two jawans -- Bablu Santra and Sudip Biswas -- draped in the national flag arrived at the airport, officers of the CRPF and different wings of the armed forces laid wreaths amidst the sounding of bugles by a contingent of the paramilitary force.

Union minister Babul Supriyo paid floral tributes to the jawans, whose bodies were then taken to their native villages in CRPF vehicles. Santra hailed from Chakkashi Rajbangshipara village at Uluberia in Howrah district, while Biswas was from Tehatta in Nadia district of West Bengal. He was to retire next year. He is survived by his mother, wife and a four-year-old daughter. Biswas (27), who was planning to get married, is survived by his parents. His father is a farmer and mother a housewife.

Rohtash Lamba of Rajasthan

Tens of thousands of people lined the roads and many more marched with the tricolour for the final journey of the five CRPF jawans from Rajasthan killed in the Pulwama terror attack who were cremated with full state honours in their native villages on Saturday. Amid slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai', 'vande mataram' and 'Pakistan murdabad' by the emotional people who had gathered to pay their respects, the mortal remains of the jawans were received by their grieving family members. Several Union and state ministers and MLAs also attended the last rites.

Markets remained closed in Jaipur, Churu, Pali, Jhunjhunu and at several other places in Rajasthan which accounted for highest casualties in the suicide attack after Uttar Pradesh. Roshitash Lamba from Jaipur district, Narayan Lal Gurjar from Rajsamand district, Jeet Ram from Bharatpur district, Bhagirath Singh from Dholpur district and Hemraj Meena from Kota district were among 40 paramilitary personnel who lost their lives when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a car laden with over 100 kg explosives into a CRPF bus in Awantipura of Jammu Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday.

Mortal remains of Nitin Shivaji Rathod from Maharashtra

Coffins wrapped in tricolour were brought to the villages of four soldiers late Friday night by road. Mortal remains of Narayana Lal Gurjar were taken to Rajsamand on an IAF chopper Saturday. Heartrending scenes were witnessed as Rohitash Lamba's two-month-old son was made to touch a torch before the pyre was lit in Shahpura town of Jaipur district. The body was earlier taken to his residence from Amarsar police station where it was kept last night. His parents, relatives and villagers broke down on seeing the coffin. Floral wreaths were laid by CRPF officials, Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and MLAs Alok Beniwal and Ramlal Sharma. A resident of Govindpura Basadi village near Shahpura, around 65 kms from Jaipur, Lamba was the only earning member of his family.

He had joined the paramilitary force in 2013 and got married in 2017. Villagers shouted slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Rohitash amar rahein' as the slain soldier was given a gun salute. In Bharatpur's Sundarawali, Jeet Ram's father could not hold back himself after seeing the coffin.

The pyre was lit by Ram's younger brother Vikram Singh, who called for revenge and a befitting reply to the terrorists. Jeet Ram is survived by wife and two young daughters. In Sangod (Kota), Binol (Rajasamand), Rajakheda (Dholpur), scores of villagers joined the funeral processions of Hemraj Meena, Narayan Lal Gurjar and Bhagirath Singh as they bid a tearful adieu to the slain security personnel.

Martyr Pankaj Kumar Tripathi's last rites

The last rites of CRPF jawan, Shyam Babu, who was killed in a terror attack in Pulwama, was held in his native village in Kanpur Dehat district Saturday. Thousands of people, including from neighbouring areas, paid their last respects to Babu in Nonari village. The mortal remains were consigned to flames by Babu's brother Kamlesh. Villagers raised slogans like "Shaheed Shyam Babu Amar Rahe" and also against Pakistan. Babu's family demanded that Pakistan be given a befitting reply for the attack by a Jaish suicide bomber who targeted a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, killing 40 jawans on Thursday.

Martyr Mahesh Kumar from UP

Union minister Smriti Irani and UP Cabinet minister Mukut Bihari Verma represented the government. Irani said the Centre and the state government would extend every possible support to the jawan's family and the death of the CRPF personnel will not go in vain. Consoling Babu's family, Irani said the prime minister has said security forces have been given a free hand to deal with terrorists and punish the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack. The jawan's body, draped in tricolour, was brought in a CRPF vehicle to his native village. Senior administration and police officials were present during the funeral. Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Singh said the process to name a road in the area after Shyam Babu has been initiated.

Martyr Sanjay Kumar Sinha from Bihar

The Pulwama terror attack was unprecedented and the prevailing mood in the country calls for stern action, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Saturday. Kumar was replying to questions from journalists at the airport here where three slain CRPF personnel -- two from the state and another from neighbouring Jharkhand -- were given the ceremonial guard of honour. "It was an unprecedented incident. Response is inevitable. Its nature and severity have to be decided. But the prevailing mood in the nation calls for stern action," the chief minister said. Mortal remains of Sanjay Kumar Sinha and Ratan Kumar Thakur, hailing from Masaurhi in rural Patna and Bhagalpur respectively, besides Vijay Soreng who belonged to Gumla in Jharkhand, were brought here in a special aircraft.

Martyr Ratan Kumar Thakur from Bihar

Besides Kumar, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav were among those present at the airport to pay tributes to the slain jawans.

"It is known world over that terrorist organisations are aided and abetted by Pakistan. The terrorists seem to be hell bent upon destroying the world with their activities. This cannot be tolerated. Two jawans from our state have lost their lives while another one is injured," he also said.

"The state government will extend all possible assistance to the bereaved family members. In addition, to payment of ex-gratia that is normally paid to martyred security personnel, the state will bear the expenses of education and marriage of their children," he added. An official release added that in addition to Rs 11 lakh payable to next of kin of each slain CRPF personnel as per the state government's scheme for the purpose, an additional amount of Rs 25 lakh each will be paid from the chief minister's relief fund. Meanwhile, the mortal remains of Soreng was airlifted by a helicopter for his native place even as huge crowds gathered at Masaurhi and Bhagalpur where Sinha and Thakur will be cremated with full state honours. In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's three decades of militancy, a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district, killing at least 40 personnel and leaving many critically wounded, on Thursday. The Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the attack.

Martyr PK Sahoo from Odisha

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, several ministers and senior officials joined hundreds of people in paying homage to two CRPF jawans from the state, who lost their lives in Pulwama terror attack, after their bodies were flown in here Saturday by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The government also announced an enhanced ex-gratia to Rs 25 lakh for the families of slain soldiers Prasanna Kumar Sahoo and Manoj Kumar Behera. Patnaik paid floral tributes after the bodies arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, where scores of people had converged to offer their last respects to the jawans.

Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, Odisha Finance Minister S B Behera, Culture Minister Ashok Panda, Health Minister Pratap Jena, MP Prasanna Patsani, OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik, BJP state president Basant Panda, senior CRPF, police and government officials were among those who paid homage at the airport. The government had on Friday announced Rs 10 lakh as ex-gratia, which was enhanced on Saturday after some criticism.

Martyr C Sivachandran from Tamil Nadu

The state government also said that it will bear the education cost of the children of the slain jawans. "The martyrs' villages will be made model panchayats and the schools they went to would be named after them," an statement issued by the CMO said. Later the mortal remains of Prasanna Kumar Sahoo were taken to his native place at Naugaon area in Jagatsinghpur district and the coffin of Manoj Kumar Behera was sent to Ratanpur village in Cuttack district.

People lined up on both sides of the road to bid adieu to the martyrs as the special vehicle carrying their mortal remains moved out of the airport. The two Union ministers and the state ministers proceeded to the martyrs' villages to attend their funeral, which has been arranged by the administrations of Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack districts.

Last rites of martyr Ramesh yadav from UP

People bid a tearful adieu to 26-year-old Kulwinder Singh, who was killed in the Pulwama terror attack, as his mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours at his native village Rauli in the Nurpur Bedi area here on Saturday. The funeral pyre was lit by Kulwinder's father Darshan Singh. Kulwinder, who was a constable in the CRPF, is survived by his father and mother. At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and five others injured Thursday in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district. Mortal remains of Kulwinder wrapped in the national flag were brought to his home in the morning. Villagers, who thronged the house of the martyr to pay their last respects, sought strong action against Pakistan. Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed as his family members mourned. The fiancée of Kulwinder, who was among the mourners, fainted when his body was brought home.

Last rites of G Subramanian from Tamil Nadu

Darshan Singh, father of Kulwinder, was wearing his son's jacket while holding his photograph. Seething with anger, villagers chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Pakistan Murdabad' slogans when the mortal remains of Kulwinder was being taken for the final journey. Some among the mourners were carrying the national flag. Shopkeepers of Nurpur Bedi and Rupnagar market shut their shops to register their protest against the attack. Kulwinder was to get married on November 8 this year and he was renovating his house. He had left for his place of posting on February 10 after spending 10 days of his leave with the family. He had joined the 92nd battalion of the CRPF in 2014. Among those who attended the cremation included Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh, SAD spokesperson and former minister Daljit Singh Cheema, AAP MLA Amarjit Singh Sandoa, CRPF DIG 84th battalion Amar Singh Negi and Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner Sumit Jarangal.

(Images credit - ANI/Twitter)

The pain and agony of CRPF jawan Pradeep Singh Yadav's death was so much, that his 10-year-old daughter Supriya fainted while consigning the mortal remains to flames here on Saturday morning. Supriya was rushed to a hospital for primary treatment, and it only made the prevailing atmosphere more sad. She was discharged from the hospital after almost an hour. Yadav was among the 40 soldiers killed in a terrorist attack in Pulwama area of Jammu and Kashmir on February 14. His body was brought in a special truck to Kannauj and 30 CRPF personnel accompanied it.

Amidst chanting of patriotic slogans, hailing the motherland and the martyrdom of Yadav, people from different walks of life bid an emotional farewell to the braveheart. Slogans like "Pradeep Singh Amar Rahe" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" were raised as his family members struggled to control their tears. Yadav's other daughter, a two-and-half-year-old kid, appeared unaware of the developments taking place around her. UP ministers Archana Pandey and Sandeep Singh, along with MLAs, district magistrate and superintendent of police were present during the last rites.

OneIndia Ndews with PTI inputs