Pulwama attack: The terrorist blew up a car laden with RDX beside a CRPF convoy
The impact of the terror attack at Kashmir's Pulwama was felt all the way down at Kalbari village in Assam's Baksa district today, as residents gathered to mourn the death of 48-year-old CRPF soldier Maneshwar Basumatary in the incident.
Mr Basumatary was one of the 40 CRPF personnel who died when a terrorist blew a vehicle loaded with explosives while a convoy of 78 vehicles was driving down the Srinagar-Jammu highway near Awantipora on Thursday. The incident, touted as the worst-ever attack on security forces in the Valley, was condemned the world over.
"We want justice. We want all the terrorists responsible for killing my father and his fellow-jawans punished," his daughter, Didwmsry, told local reporters.
Besides Didwmsry and her brother Dhananjoy, the soldier is survived by his wife Sanmati. While Didwmsry is hunting for a job after completing her graduation, Dhananjoy is still in college. The family had last spoken to the CRPF head constable a couple of hours before the attack.
Mr Basumatary had seen terrorism from close range in his home district of Baksa, which falls in the once-volatile Bodoland Autonomous Territorial zone. Eager to serve the nation, he had joined the central paramilitary force in 1994. Known in his village as a helpful and soft-spoken person, he had left home on February 4 after a month-long vacation with family and friends.
Soon after the terror attack, rumours spread on social media that another CRPF soldier from Assam - Bongaigoan resident Pabitra Barman - was also part of the convoy. However, he took to social media soon after to inform everybody that he was safe.