Terror struck once more on February 14 when 40 CRPF jawaans were mercilessly killed after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. Although the authorities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have ensured the nation that the soldiers’ sacrifice will not go in vain, the entire country is on boil over the massacre.
While the families of the jawaans are receiving sympathy and support from the nation, is any amount of emotional support enough for them? “No!” expresses a saddened Ganesh Prasad Srivastava, retired Second-in-Command, CRPF, Hyderabad, adding, “I have served the force for a very long time and know that each time I was on duty, away from my family, they would be restless the entire time.”
“The central and state goverment will extend every financial help possible. But there is no way money can fill the loss of the jawaans’ family. My heart goes out to them,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the jawaans serving in the forces are equally disheartened and angry. Says a CRPF jawaan on the condition of anonymity, “One of my friends whom I served with in the North-east was in the attack, so, yes, it is a very sad time for me and the rest of the military personnel. We stay away from our families and rely on each other for all kinds of support. After a point, our colleagues become our family. Such attacks enrage us, but we have to follow a protocol and stick to the orders.”
Talking about his family and their worries when he is on duty, the jawaan adds, “While I was posted in the North-east, I had to be in areas where there wasn’t any network. If my phone was out of reach for more than a day or two, my mother would start fretting and even call the headquarters at times to know my whereabouts. This is the kind of fear that our families go through. I can only imagine the pain of the families whose sons died in Pulwama.”
