'Ready to sacrifice more sons for nation'

BHAGALPUR/VARANASI: Both are fathers who lost a son in Thursday's attack. On Friday, one said he is ready to sacrifice his elder son for the country, the other his younger one. But both had one message for the government: that their sons' deaths must be avenged.

One of them, father of Ratan Kumar Thakur from Bhagalpur who was killed on Thursday, said, "I will happily sacrifice my younger son, too, for the country, but the government must not sit quiet this time." The sacrifice can only be avenged by decimating Pakistan and the terror outfits operating from that country, he added.

Ratan's younger brother is a student, while one of his two sisters is married. Ratan joined CRPF in 2011 and was planning to come home in March to fix his younger sister's marriage.


In Varanasi's Tofapur, Shyam Narain, father of jawan Ramesh Yadav who was also killed on Thursday, said, "I am ready to send my elder son too to protect our borders, but first avenge the martyrdom of Ramesh."

Amidst cries and slogans being raised in his village against terrorists, Narain was finding it difficult to hold back his tears. He said his elder son Rajesh is a milkman but the family wanted to educate Ramesh so that he could get a government job. He had even mortgaged his land to educate Ramesh.

Before joining CRPF three years ago, Ramesh got married to Renu and has a one and a half-year-old son who has a problem in one leg.

Renu fell unconscious when she was told about Ramesh's demise. "Before leaving home he had asked me to take care of our son, parents and home as he was going to protect the country," was all she could muster whenever she gained consciousness.

While her little son cried looking at those assembled, relatives found it hard to console Renu. His mother said that before leaving on February 12 Ramesh had promised that on returning in the next vacation he would ensure proper treatment of his son.