2 CRPF jawans from TN among 40 killed in Kashmir; One rejoined

G Subramanian, one of the CPRF personnel killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, had returned to his camp barely five days ago after celebrating the Pongal festival with his family in his native village in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu.

News about his death came as a shock to his family members as the young jawan had last spoken to his wife Krishnaveni on Thursday morning, hours before the suicide bomb attack on the CRPF convoy that left 40 personnel of the paramilitary force dead in Pulwama.

Subramanian, who belonged to Savalaperi, had joined CRPF in 2014 and was posted in Uttar Pradesh and in Chennai before being moved to Jammu and Kashmir, a family member said.

He got married in 2017.

The jawan had come home on a long leave last month for Pongal festival and returned to his camp only on February 10, he said.

Besides him, C Sivachandran from Ariyalur district in the state was also among those killed.

In Chennai, Chief Minister K Palaniswami Friday announced a solatium of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the two CRPF personnel from the state.

He condemned the deadly attack carried out by a Jaish suicide bomber who rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into a bus carrying CRPF personel.

In a release, Palaniswami said he was also grieved to learn that two of the 40 killed were from Tamil Nadu.

DMK President M K Stalin also condemned the attack.

"I'm deeply grieved and firmly condemn the cowardly attack on #CRPF soldiers in Awantipora.

"DMK while expressing deep condolences to all the bereaved families stands firmly with the security personnel in the service of the nation," he tweeted.