West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today handed over appointment letters for government jobs to the kin of two sportsmen in the state who died recently.

Announcing this here today after Banerjee handed them appointment letters, state Youth Welfare minister Arup Biswas told reporters that Salma Rahaman Baidya, wife of the double amputee swimmer Masudur Rahaman Baidya, would join as a Group-D staff under the West Bengal State Council of Sports.

Deepak Keshri, brother of a promising Bengal cricketer Ankit Keshri, who recently died owing to an injury sustained during a Cricket Association of Bengal senior ODI knock-out match on April 17, has been asked to join as General Assistant under West Bengal Mineral Development Trading Corporation.

Appreciating the Chief Minister's humanitarian face after meeting her at the state secretariat, both Salma and Deepak expressed their gratitude to Banerjee.

46-year-old India swimmer Masudur Rahman Baidya, the only man with amputated legs to cross the English Channel in 1997, died on April 26 after a cardiac arrest.
Masudur is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters aged six and three years.
A double amputee below the knee, Masudur had also conquered the Strait of Gibraltar in 2001 and the Palk Strait in July 2010.

In a tragic on-field incident after Phillip Hughes' death last November, a promising Bengal batsman Ankit Keshri passed away on April 20 owing to an on-field injury.
The 20-year-old, a talented right-hander, had captained the Bengal U-19 team in Cooch Behar Trophy and was in the 30-member India U-19 probables list for the 2014 Colts World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

He was also playing for Bengal A (U-23 side) in the C K Nayudu National Championship.