Killed CRPF men given tearful farewell by colleagues

KOLKATA - The bodies of three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men, including a deputy commandant, who were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists in West Midnapore Wednesday, were brought here Thursday and given the last salute by tearful colleagues.

The bodies of deputy commandant Vijay Pal Singh, and constables Rakesh Kumar and D. Ramesh were brought to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here in flower-bedecked hearses in a procession.

While Vijay Pal Singh was from Rajasthan, Rakesh Kumar was from Punjab and Ramesh from Tamil Nadu. The bodies of two other paramilitary men - head constable Biswalochan Santra from Khandakosh in Burdwan district and constable D.K. Samanta from Orissa - also killed in the attack, have been sent to their homes by road.

At the airport, the coffins were placed on a makeshift platform outside the domestic terminal as senior CRPF officers led by eastern region Inspector General Nageshwar Rao paid their respects to the slain personnel by laying wreaths on the bodies and giving the last salute.

CRPF jawans, tears welling in their eyes, gave a guard of honour and reversed their guns as the bugle sounded the last post.

The coffins were put on flights to be carried to their respective homes away from the state.

Meanwhile, the condition of injured constable Naba Kumar Ghosh, admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital in south Kolkata, was described by doctors as critical.

“He is critical. He has a rib fracture. But he is not on life support system any more,” a spokesman of the AMRI Hospital told IANS.

Five CRPF troopers were killed and one was injured when the Maoist extremists blew up their patrol vehicle by detonating a landmine in the trouble-torn Lalgarh belt.

Maoist rebels triggered the explosion between Pingboni and Ramgarh areas under Lalgarh police station, about 200 km west of here.