Mathura/ New Delhi:
Following Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's visit to the house of martyr Hemraj Singh in Shernagar, Uttar Pradesh, today, his family has called off its fast. Hemraj's mother and wife were on a hunger strike to protest the brutal killing and decapitation of the 32-year-old soldier. Hemraj was killed by Pakistani troops last Tuesday along with his colleague Sudhakar Singh.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visited the family late this afternoon and announced that his government would give them Rs 20 lakh in monetary support. He also announced a payout of five lakhs from the
Kisan Bima fund. He offered juice to the two women and urged them to end their fast.
It was a day that saw a string of politicians visiting the family of the slain soldier.
Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh met the family and announced a compensation of Rs 46 lakh for the kin of Hemraj.
Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari visited the family with senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh. Mr Gadkari said that India should raise the January 8 killings with the United Nations and the international community.
Mr Gadkari also asked the Prime Minster to break his silence on the issue and said the government should step up pressure on Pakistan. He added that the BJP would raise this issue in Parliament at its next session. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi responded by saying, "Such issues should not be politicised."
Mathura Member of Parliament Jayant Chaudhary had visited the family four days after Hemraj Singh's body arrived in the village from Kashmir. Mr Choudhary tried to persuade the two women end their fast; he offered them milk but both had steadfastly refused. The two women had said they want the martyr's severed head to be located and returned to them.
In a press conference, Chief of Army Staff, Bikram Singh, said today, "I am the head of the clan and I am like a father. We will make sure they are given all possible help. We will give them all that is due and everything they are entitled to." General Singh also said that diplomatic channels will be employed to seek the return of Hemraj's severed head.
The Indian government has said that after Pakistani troops shot dead Hemraj Singh, they decapitated the body and took the head away. A flag meeting was held between senior Indian and Pakistani Army officers in Chakan de Bagh in the Poonch sector today, where India raised concerns about the decapitation.
Pakistan has so far denied that its troops crossed the LoC and killed the jawans.
The Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir has been the epicentre of cross-border tension this week, with intermittent exchange of fire reported every now and then. Both sides have accused the other of violating ceasefire guidelines and crossing over to the other's side to target its troops.
On Tuesday, fellow jawans say, Lance Naik Hemraj Singh and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh bore the brunt of a Pakistani attack on a group out on routine duty in Mendhar. Both served in the 13 Rajputana Rifles regiment, were in their early 30s, from families of small-time farmers, and leave behind very young children.