A promise that remains unfulfilled
Kanpur jawan killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh on Sunday promised his wife just before the tragic incident that he would come home on July 7.
KANPUR: One of the two CRPF jawans killed in an IED attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, has been identified as 29-year-old Shailendra from Naugawan Gautam, Maharajpur in Kanpur. Shailendra, who got married just three months ago, had spoken to his wife on the phone shortly before his tragic death, assuring her of his upcoming leave on July 7.
The news of Shailendra’s death left his mother, Bijla Devi, devastated; she collapsed upon hearing the news. This loss is particularly poignant for Bijla Devi, who had previously lost her eldest son, Sushil Kumar, to a snake bite three years ago, and now she loses her youngest son.
“After my husband’s passing, I raised all four of my children with great difficulty. Now, two of my children have departed, and my world has been shattered,” she said inconsolably. “If only I had known I was going to lose him too, I would have ensured my child quit his job,” she said.
Shailendra joined the CRPF as a driver in 2017 and got married this March. His father, Munnalal, was a truck driver and also died in an accident, said neighbours.
His brother, Neeraj Kumar, said the family first learned about his death through a social media platform through some neighbours, followed by official confirmation from the CRPF. “He spoke to his wife an hour before his death. He told her he was coming home on July 7,” he said.
Part of CRPF’s Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), Shailendra and his colleague, Vishnu R., were taking rations to the camp when the Maoists set off the IED on Sunday.
