Agencies
NEW DELHI, Mar 5: CRPF chief Gyanendra Pratap Singh on Wednesday visited the family of a slain personnel in Jharkhand's Palamu district who laid down his life during a recent anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh, officials said.
The director general (DG) of the paramilitary force is on a daylong tour of the state.
Head Constable Mahima Nand Shukla (46) was grievously injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on February 11 in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. He was lifted in a chopper to Raipur and later shifted to the AIIMS in Delhi for better treatment. He however, succumbed to his injuries on February 20.
A picture of Shukla, with both his legs blown off and his uniform soaked in blood, lying calmly with his right hand under his head on the ground in a jungle was circulated widely on social media that day.
The CRPF chief made it a point to visit the family of the brave head constable despite being in Jharkhand for only a day to review anti-Naxal operations in the state, a senior officer said.
He met the wife, their son and daughter and other family members and lauded the "exemplary" courage shown by him during the Chhattisgarh operation and ensuring the safety of his colleagues, the official said.
"The DG met the family of our brave shaheed jawan and assured that the force stands with them in these difficult times. He made a special mention that the education of his two children will be taken care of," CRPF deputy inspector general (DIG) M Dhinakaran said in Delhi.
The DG also spoke to the children separately and assured them that the CRPF stands with them at all times, the DIG said, adding he also directed the Jharkhand sector of the force to assist the family in all their needs.
Shukla joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2001. Before joining the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) theatre of Chhattisgarh in 2022, he served in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Bihar.
On the fateful day of the IED attack, Shukla, trained in bomb detection and disposal techniques, was leading the CRPF party.
"Disregarding his own life safety, he made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, saving lives of other members of the team," a CRPF report said.
The DG also interacted with his troops at a base in Ranchi and also reviewed the incident in which three personnel were injured in an IED attack in the West Singhbhum district on Wednesday.
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