WB bids goodbye to Pulwama martyrs; ‘Country stands united by its jawans’, says Mamata

Kolkata, February 16

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday led a candle light march to protest the Pulwama attack and said the country stands united by its brave jawans.

The march was held from Hazra crossing in south Kolkata to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Mayo Road area.

In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, at least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and many injured on Thursday when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.

 The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief condemned the attack and said terrorists "have no religion or caste".

"The country stands united. We are one and we stand united by our brave jawans. Terrorists are terrorists. They have no religion, no caste," Banerjee said after the march in which she along with various other TMC leaders was seen carrying candles.

People walked silently along with TMC activists who carried national flags and posters with the names of all the 40 CRPF personnel killed in the attack.

After the procession reached Gandhi's statue, Banerjee offered her respects and prayed for those killed in the attack.

A minute's silence was observed as a mark of respect to the bravehearts.

Goodbyes

A sombre farewell was given to two CRPF jawans from West Bengal who died in the attack at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport here on Saturday.

As the coffins of the two jawans—Bablu Santra and Sudip Biswas—draped in the national flag arrived at the airport, officers of the CRPF and different wings of the armed forces laid wreaths amidst the sounding of bugles by a contingent of the paramilitary force.

Union Minister Babul Supriyo paid floral tributes to the jawans, whose bodies were then taken to their native villages in CRPF vehicles.

Santra hailed from Chakkashi Rajbangshipara village at Uluberia in Howrah district, while Biswas was  from Tehatta in Nadia district of West Bengal.

He was to retire next year. He is survived by his mother, wife and a four-year-old daughter.

Biswas (27), who was planning to get married, is survived by his parents. His father is a farmer and mother a housewife. PTI