Slain officer’s kin refuse to do last rites, relent after Yogi intervenes
GORAKHPUR: The body of slain CRPF sub-inspector Sahib Shukla arrived at Gorakhpur airport by a special plane at 7.30pm on Sunday with his kin refusing to cremate him till CM Yogi Adityanath visited them.
Shukla was killed and another jawan injured after militants attacked their vehicle at Pantha Chowk area in Srinagar on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Saturday. LeT has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The chief minister, who had announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakhs, spoke to the martyr’s kin on phone and promised to meet them during his two-day visit to Gorakhpur on July 9. The district administration arranged the call after they came to know about Devasheesh’s resolve.
After assurance from the CM, officer’s son Devasheesh agreed to cremate his father’s body on Monday morning.
A pall of gloom descended over Shukla’s ancestral village in Gorakhpur as news of his death spread with locals, relatives and administration officials started gathering at his residence.
The martyr’s wife Shobha Shukla was inconsolable while his sons Samrat, Devasheesh were in a state of shock.
“He (Shukla) looked very happy when he visited the village on June 12 to attend Devasheesh’s marriage. He met everyone in the village and promised to visit again but who knew he would never return,” Shukla’s nephew Upendra said.