‘We will carry forward the legacy of our father’

BHOPAL: The din of questions over the daring jailbreak and police ‘encounter’ dimmed as thousands of teary-eyed people bid head warder of Bhopal Central Jail, Ramashankar Yadav, farewell at the Gandhi Nagar crematorium in Bhopal on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old head constable died when one of the eight SIMI operatives slit his throat with a knife before breaking out of the high-security jail.

“Our father gave his life in the line of duty while serving the nation in the best possible way. We will continue his legacy by serving the country,” Yadav’s eldest son Shambunath, who is serving in the Indian Army and is posted in Assam, said.

Grief-stricken Prabhunath, younger son of the head constable, who is also serving in the army, said: “Father would have been alive had he backed out during the jailbreak, but he did not. For him, his integrity and loyalty towards his duty and the nation was the most important thing.”

Thefamily,whichwaspreparing for Yadav’s daughter Sonia’s wedding before the tragedy, has now postponed the programme.

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was present at the funeral, also praised Yadav for “single-handedly” trying to fight the terrorists and stop them from escaping.

He said the state government will “take care” of the family and announced `10 lakh ex-gratia for Yadav’s family and another `5 lakh for the marriage of his daughter.

(With PTI inputs)