Thousands converge for last rites of CRPF jawans in Rajasthan

Tens of thousands of people lined the roads and many more marched with the tricolour for the final journey of the five CRPF jawans from Rajasthan killed in the Pulwama terror attack who were cremated with full state honours in their native villages on Saturday.

Amid slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai', 'vande mataram' and 'Pakistan murdabad' by the emotional people who had gathered to pay their respects, the mortal remains of the jawans were received by their grieving family members. Several Union and state ministers and MLAs also attended the last rites.

Markets remained closed in Jaipur, Churu, Pali, Jhunjhunu and at several other places in Rajasthan which accounted for highest casualties in the suicide attack after Uttar Pradesh.

Roshitash Lamba from Jaipur district, Narayan Lal Gurjar from Rajsamand district, Jeet Ram from Bharatpur district, Bhagirath Singh from Dholpur district and Hemraj Meena from Kota district were among 40 paramilitary personnel who lost their lives when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a car laden with over 100 kg explosives into a CRPF bus in Awantipura of Jammu Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday.

Coffins wrapped in tricolour were brought to the villages of four soldiers late Friday night by road. Mortal remains of Narayana Lal Gurjar were taken to Rajsamand on an IAF chopper Saturday.

Heartrending scenes were witnessed as Rohitash Lamba's two-month-old son was made to touch a torch before the pyre was lit in Shahpura town of Jaipur district.

The body was earlier taken to his residence from Amarsar police station where it was kept last night. His parents, relatives and villagers broke down on seeing the coffin.

Floral wreaths were laid by CRPF officials, Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and MLAs Alok Beniwal and Ramlal Sharma.

A resident of Govindpura Basadi village near Shahpura, around 65 kms from Jaipur, Lamba was the only earning member of his family. He had joined the