Raghubar, his cabinet colleagues donate for kin of Pulwama martyrs

RANCHI: Chief minister

Raghubar Das

and his cabinet colleagues on Saturday said they will contribute their one month’s salary for the families of the CRPF men martyred in Thursday’s terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Das had on Friday announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the family of Gumla-based jawan

Vijay Soreng

’s, who was killed in the attack.


“Our

jawans

made the greatest sacrifice in the line of duty. As a humble gesture to the family members of the martyrs, my cabinet colleagues and I will donate one month’s salary for their welfare,” Das said, before heading to Ranchi’s Birsa Munda airport in the afternoon to receive Soreng’s body, which arrived about two hours late owing to technical snag in Indian Air Force’s aircraft in Patna.

On Friday night, the Ranchi district administration also announced that they will donate a day’s salary for the martyrs’ families. “The entire district administration #Ranchi has decided to donate its one day salary for the families of those who were martyred yesterday in the #Pulwana #CRPF attack. #NeverForgetTheSacrifice,” tweeted Ranchi deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray.

Many individuals too have been making financial contributions for the martyrs’ families through www.bharatkeveer.gov.in portal launched by the ministry of home affairs in mid-2017 as a fund-raising initiative for the families of soldiers.

Two city-based entrepreneurs Sunil Yaduka and Gaurav Sinha contributed Rs 500 each through the portal. Gaurav said they are targeting to crowdsource funds to the tune of Rs 15 lakh for Soreng’s family. “Through various WhatsApp group of our professional colleagues and friends, we began crowdfunding on Saturday morning to raise at least Rs 15 lakh for Soreng’s family through the portal. Till noon, we managed around Rs 2.5 lakh, but the site crashed owing to heavy traffic from across the world. But we are sure of doing our bit for Soreng’s family,” said Gaurav.

Meanwhile, enraged over the attack, business establishment across capital’s market places witnessed voluntary shutdown since morning to mourn the deaths. Unlike forced bandhs, shops in prominent markets like GEL Church Complex, Main Road, JP makert in Dhurwa, parts of Kantatoli etc downed shutters.