Head Constable Narayan Lal Gurjar was one among the 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were on the ill-fated bus blown up by a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber in south Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14.
To immortalise his contribution and sacrifice, the CRPF in consultation with his family will now put up his bust at any of the three educational institutions he attended.
Gurjar (38), completed his primary education from Uccha Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Binol, in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, around 340 km from State capital Jaipur. The school is 500 metres from his house.
His younger brother Mahesh said it will be an honour for the family to have his bust in the only school in the village.
From 2017, the CRPF has installed over 450 plaques or busts in memory of its personnel killed in line of duty at their schools and colleges. According to the CRPF, it has lost around 700 personnel in various operations since 2006.
CRPF Inspector General Sanjay Anandrao Lathkar said the bust and plaque of Head Constable Vijay Soreng, who was also killed in the Pulwama attack, was ready for installation. “We will be installing Soreng’s bust in the next 2-3 days. His family will be there. The government takes care of the expenses and the upkeep of the busts,” Mr. Lathkar said.
He said the CRPF has also opened libraries in the schools of personnel with the help of civic action funds provided by the government, and also organise sports tournaments in their memory.
“Through this, we are able to pay homage to them on their death anniversary. We provide the photograph of the personnel to the artisans to make these busts. So far, no family has complained that it doesn’t resemble their kin….it costs around ₹15,000-₹20,000 for each bust and plaque,” Mr. Lathkar said.
A senior CRPF official said such arrangements will be made for the other 39 personnel killed in the car-borne suicide attack. The installations come after the Home Ministry, two years ago, directed all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to organise “befitting functions” in schools falling in their respective jurisdictions, in which security personnel killed in action had studied. The busts carry a citation detailing the operation where the jawan was killed. It also includes the details of close family members.
The Ministry had also asked all the CAPFs to complete the installations in time so that students could give their “regards and respect” each year on October 31. The day marks the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and also the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), posted along the Nepal border, has installed more than 40 plaques in various schools.
The Border Security Force (BSF) posted along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, has also installed over 1,400 plaques containing photographs and details to commemorate the sacrifice of its personnel. Since it was raised in 1965, the BSF has lost 1,476 personnel in the line of duty.
Published - February 23, 2019 09:02 pm IST
