Poll strategist and national vice-president of Janata Dal (United), Prashant Kishor, has apologised for the ‘disrespect’ shown towards martyr Pintu Singh whose body was flown to Bihar on Sunday.
Working as a CRPF Inspector, Pintu was gunned down in an encounter with terrorists at Kupwara in J-K last week. His body was flown to Patna on Sunday morning. But neither Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, nor his deputy Sushil Modi or any other ministerial colleague deemed it fit to pay last respects to the martyr at the Patna airport. All the ruling party leaders were reportedly busy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the state capital on Sunday.
“We are sorry for the error of judgement on part of those of us who should have been there with you in this hour of crisis,” tweeted PK, as Prashant Kishor is fondly known here.
Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha and LJP MP Mehboob Ali Kaisar, however, reached the airport and paid tributes to the martyr. The body was then flown in a helicopter to Begusarai, Pintu’s ancestral place, where his four-year-old daughter Pihu and other relatives performed the last rites on Sunday evening.
Late on Sunday night, a BJP Minister Vijay Sinha reached Begusarai to offer condolences. “We were busy with the NDA rally in Patna. It was a mistake on our part not to pay tributes to the martyr at Patna airport. We offer an unconditional apology for the lapse,” said Sinha.
Pintu’s family, however, reprimanded the Minister and said, “It’s too little, too late. Rally is more important for leaders like you than paying respect to a martyr who lost his life-fighting terrorists.”