Families of jawans mourn their men

He grew weaker after hearing that his son, the lone bread earner of the family of eight, was among the 75 CRPF jawans killed by the naxalites in Dantewada district of Chattisgarh on Tuesday.

“Hamara sahara chala gaya” (our sole bread earner is no more), Tewari, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar district, said in a choked voice. His wife swooned several times after hearing the shattering news.

Blame game

Pradeep, Brijesh’s younger brother, blames the government for the naxalite menace. “The faulty policies of the government has led to the emergence of naxalites”, he said.
Brijesh leaves behind his wife and two sons besides three brothers and his parents.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the house of Shyam Lal, another CRPF jawan killed in the attack.

Lal, whose father is a landless labourer, hailed from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district. Shyam Lal has three daughters and an 11-year old son. A majority of CRPF jawans (42) killed in the naxalite attack at Dantewada hailed from various parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Almost of all of them came from lower and middle class families. 

The Uttar Pradesh governemnt has not yet announced any monetary assistance to the bereaved Families.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has strongly condemned the killings and said that the government was with the bereaved families.

Meanwhile the bodies of 13 slain CRPF jawans, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, were brought here by a special aircraft. The brides of 15 other jawans will arrive later in the evening.

Senior officials of the state government, police and CRPF personnel were present at the airport to receive the bodies with full state honours.

UP’s Additional Director General of Police Brijlal said the bodies of the other slain CRPF jawans, who hailed from western UP, would be taken to Delhi and from there to their homes by road.

He said that the district administration had been asked to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved families.