Last rites of CRPF jawan performed

Bargarh: The last rites of CRPF jawan Ranjan Das, who was among the seven CRPF 230 Battalion personnel killed in a landmine blast in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, was performed at his Khandahata village in the district on Thursday.

Das’ body was flown from Raipur to his native village this morning. He was given a guard of honour before his mortal remains were consigned to flames.

The eyes were numb and tears rolled down the cheeks of the family members and villagers who were present to give their last respects to the martyr.

“For us the training was very hard. But surprisingly, he was saying that it was easy for him. He was selected for commando training in Kerala. Besides he was very cordial and well-behaved,” said one his colleague.

The incident occurred on Wednesday when Das, along with six other CRPF personnel, were on their way from Nendli in Sukma district to Bhusaras camp in Chhattisgarh.

The Tata 407 vehicle in which the personnel were travelling was thrown into air due to the powerful IED blast and landed several hundred feet away from the blast site.

The intensity of the blast was so much that a deep crater was formed on the road and the bodies as well as the vehicle were completely blown apart.