Slain BSF officer gets last 'bhai phonta' before burial

BSF commander Deepak K Mondal's body was laid to rest after his sisters applied sandalwood paste on his forehead as a mark of 'bhai phonta' for the last time today.
On this day in West Bengal, where it is called 'bhai phonta', and elsewhere, sisters pray for their brothers' long life and well being.
With tears rolling down their cheeks, Mondal's two sisters touched his cold forehead with their left little fingers dipped in sandalwood paste, following the ritual.
Mondal succumbed to his injuries in a Kolkata hospital yesterday after being attacked by suspected cattle smugglers in Tripura earlier this week.

The BSF officer's body was buried at their land beside the tombs of parents, following family tradition, at Mayurhat under Hanskhali police station in Nadia district.
His wife Sudeshna only managed to say that Mondal had promised her to be back home during Kali Puja.
Mondal did return home, but inside a coffin brought by his BSF colleagues, who also gave him a gun-salute.