HP CM, Nadda attend funeral of slain CRPF jawan in Kangra

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Union Health Minister J P Nadda Saturday paid homage to CRPF jawan Tilak Raj who was killed in the Pulwama terror attack which claimed the lives of 40 paramilitary personnel.

Thakur visited Raj's native village in the Jawali area of Kangra district and laid the wreath on the coffin carrying the mortal remains of the jawan draped in the tricolour.

Raj was cremated at around 2 pm with full state honours.

The chief minister conveyed his condolences and assured the bereaved family of all possible assistance from the state government.

Raj's brother, Baldev Singh, lit the funeral pyre as the villagers kept chanting "Shaheed Tilak Raj amar rahe". Anti-Pakistan slogans were also raised.

Interacting with the media, the chief minister described the killing of the soldiers as a cowardly act by terrorist backed by Pakistan.

"Such nefarious designs of evil forces will not succeed and the nation will give a befitting reply to Pakistan," Thakur said.

He announced a financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to the family and government employment to the wife of the jawan.

Besides the chief minister, Union Health Minister J P Nadda, former CM and MP Shanta Kumar, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kishan Kapoor, state Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar, MLAs Arun Mehta, Rakesh Pathania and Arjun Singh, among others, paid homage to the jawan.

Senior officials of the Army, CRPF and police were present.

In one of the deadliest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber Thursday rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into a bus in Pulwama district, killing 40 jawans. The bus was part of a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying CRPF personnel from Jammu to Srinagar.

On Friday, a special Army plane carrying the bodies of six jawans - one from Himachal Pradesh, four from Punjab and one from Jammu and Kashmir - reached the Pathankot airbase in Punjab at 11 pm.

Himachal Pradesh Food and Civil Supply Minister Kishan Kapoor, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar, Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial and others accompanied the body of Tilak Raj from Pathankot to Nurpur (Himachal) at midnight and carried the same to the jawan's native village Saturday morning.