Bhubaneswar:
Orissa saluted eight of its brave men who were among the 27 CRPF jawans killed in the Naxal attack in Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.
A guard of honour was held at the CRPF Group Centre in Bhubaneswar on Thursday morning.
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was also present there. He said, "This is getting to be very serious ...we must do something to combat the Maoists."
On Wednesday, he announced an ex- gratia of two lakh rupees to the next of kin of each jawan.
Of the 27 jawans killed in the attack on June 29, eight hailed from Orissa. Their bodies were brought to Bhubaneswar by a special plane on Wednesday night and received with state honour.
The bodies were later dispatched to their respective villages by road. The CRPF base at Orissa has been flooded with calls from family members and relatives wanting to know the whereabouts of their loved ones posted in Chhattisgarh.
All the cremation and funeral related procedures would be carried out by the family members. The CRPF personnel have promised to help the distressed families in all possible ways.