Sonowal, Sarma turn pallbearers as slain Assam jawan brought home

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma turned pallbearers as the body of a CRPF jawan killed in the Pulwama attack reached the IAF airport here.
Sonowal laid a wreath at the coffin wrapped in the national flag at the IAF airport, adjacent to the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport here. CRPF head constable Maneswar Basumatari was among the 40 personnel killed in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday.
“The nation will fight unitedly to protect the sovereignty of our country. Basumatari’s sacrifice along with the other CRPF jawans will not go in vain. We are united to fight those anti-national forces for ensuring the security of our country,” Sonowal told reporters here. Sarma said he had full faith in the Army.
“I have full faith in our Army that they will fight till the last terrorist is wiped out of Kashmir. The Army and security forces have been given free hand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Victory will be achieved,” he said as chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai” rend the air. The coffin was taken to Basumatari’s village at Kalabari in lower Assam’s Baksa district by a special IAF helicopter for the last rites.
CRPF sources said as the aircraft carrying Basumatari’s coffin, along with those of other martyrs from J&K got delayed, a special IAF aircraft transported his body to Guwahati for the onward journey to Kalabari. On the other hand, People of Arunachal Pradesh Saturday paid tributes to the 40 CRPF personnel who were killed in a suicide attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. People from various walks of life took out processions and held candlelight marches across the state to pay homage to the martyrs, officials said.
They also demanded befitting action against Pakistan for sponsoring Thursday’s attack on the CRPF convoy, the officials said. Thousands of people across the state, including leaders of various political parties, prayed to the almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed souls. The markets of centurion town Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district, remained closed during the day. Around 10,000 people along with traders took out a procession also, the officials said. (PTI)