An IAS officer in Bihar has volunteered to help the families of two soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who laid down their lives in the Pulwama terror attack last week. Inayat Khan, the District Magistrate of Sheikhpura, 117 km from Patna, has also offered to "adopt" a girl child from each of the families. While one of the soldiers has two daughters, the other soldier has only a son. His wife is pregnant with their second child.
Ms Khan, a Bihar cadre IAS officer, announced that she will fund the education of two girls, one daughter each of CRPF soldiers Ratan Kumar Thakur and Sanjay Kunar Sinha.
The Agra-born 2012 batch officer also asked officials to open an account in Sheikhpura to raise funds for their families. "Whatever amount will be collected by March 10, we will divide and give it to their families. I want to appeal to the people to contribute as much as you can so that we can stand by their families at a time when they need our support," she said.
Ms Khan said she is donating two days' salary to the families of the two soldiers. "I have requested all government staff of my district to donate their one day's salary to the families of the two martyrs," she said.
The Bihar government had also announced that besides the financial compensation, additional help will be given to the families of the soldiers.
Solider Sanjay Kumar Sinha's family said he had left home for Kashmir only last week after a month-long vacation. The grieving family of Ratan Kumar Thakur said he had said he had promised to give them a call on that fateful day. "Ratan had told us that he would call by evening, soon after joining work in Srinagar. But we received a call from his superior instead, and it was to inform us about this terrible news," said Niranjan Thakur, the CRPF constable's father.
"Ratan had told us that he would call by evening, soon after joining work in Srinagar. But we received a call from his superior instead, and it was to inform us about this terrible news," said Niranjan Thakur, the CRPF constable's father.
Over 40 CRPF troopers laid down their lives last week in a suicide attack by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS)
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