This Article is From Jul 01, 2010

Remembering the martyrs; distraught families speak

Bihar: For the family members of the martyrs, it's a nightmare they are yet to come to terms with. No word of reconciliation can ever fill the gap. Their lives have been completely and irreversibly shattered.

One of the jawans who died in the massacre, Tarkeshwar Roy, hailed from Banwira village in Bihar and had just resumed duty after a month long vacation at home. Tarkeshwar's wife Nirmala just can't hold back her tears. "Some friends called me with the news. I first thought they were joking, but they weren't... He always used to say; when I am on duty I won't be able to call much," said visibly inconsolable Nirmala. The couple had adopted a son two years back. Nitish, their adopted son remembered how his father always got goodies whenever he came home. "My father came home sometime back. He bought lots of books and clothes and also sweets for me," said Nitish.

Having lost the only bread-winner of their family, Tarkeshwar's wife and son don't have much to look at. The government may come out with compensation packages. Even the CRPF will help. But monetary support is not the prime concern. The bigger task ahead of this family is to wade through the everyday battles of life, all alone.

Not very different from Tarkeshwar's family is the story of Samir Oran.

Samir, who died in the Naxal attack on Tuesday, was the only bread-winner of his family. Hailing from a small village in Jharkhand, he is remembered as a person who always kept duty and responsibility ahead of everything. Samir was married only last year. He had promised his wife that he would come home soon. Only now it will never happen again.




      
 
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