Mohan Lal Raturi n Veerendra Singh Rana of Uttarakhand were the only earning members of their hapless families. Salutes to 41 bravehearts.

Among the total martyrs of CRPF, the maximum number of martyrs are from Uttar Pradesh numbering 18 followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, West Bengal,Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Salutes to all these valiant soldiers who have sacrificed themselves on the line of duty protecting the 125 crore Indians from the enemies perpetrating havoc in our motherland at the behest of neighbouring Pakistan. Two soldiers from the himalayan state of Uttarakhand, the land of abode of Gods Uttarakhand also laid down their precious lives in the prime of their youth.

The two soldiers of Central Reserve Police Force who were martyred at Avantipora, in Pulwama district in the Fidayeen attack were Mohanlal Raturi from Uttarkashi, Garhwal and Veerendra Singh Rana from Udham Singh Nagar, Khateema. About 39 soldiers with valour have sacrificed their lives in various operations belonging to Khatima during the last few years in the service of the nation. It may be recalled that on 14th of February about 78 buses, trucks and highly guarded vehicles were going towards Srinagar from the Jammu Transit camp carrying 2547 soldiers to Srinagar to be oosted to various strife ridden locations of Srinagar valley.

When the Army n paramilitary convoy passed through Avantipora in Pulwama district about thirty kilometresaway from Jammu, a car loaded with 30 Kilograms of RDX rammed into the CRPF bus of 54 batallion of CRPF killing about 41 personels including a major. Veerender Singh belonging to Udham Singh Nagar Khatima belonged to Bhuriagardhi village and is the father of two children. His wife got the message of Veerender’s martydom on Thursday night by an Army officer on phone.

The news spread like a shock wave in the family as well as the nrarby licalities n thereafter in the entire state. Late Veerendra Singh has two brothers Jai Ram Singh and Rajesh Rana. Jairam Singh is a retired Subedar while Rajesh Rana isan agriculturist. Another martyr Mohan Lal Raturi is from Bankot, Uttar kashi. He was fifty five years old. Father of two sons and three daughters Mohan Lal untimely death has put the entire family in the syate of tremendous shock n financial jeopardy. Mohan Lal Raturi got employment in 1988 and since then he had been on duty in various challenging and strife prone areas of Jammu n Kashmir, Naxal prone Chattisgarh, Jallandhar, Punjab, Jammu n Srinagar.

The martyrdom of all the above 41 jawans have put their families in immense financial jeopardy and majority of the jawans hailed from hapless n poor family backgrounds being the only earning members of the families. The government of India and the respective state governments from where they actually belinged should give them Rs. One Crore Rs as financial compensation, a govt job to next of the kin n a house to live in. Om Shanti.

Sunil Negi, President, Uttarakhand Journalists Forum