CRPF soldier Chandra H.S., who was killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, was laid to rest with state honours at his native place Haradoor in Arkalgud taluk on Thursday.
Hundreds of people, including his relatives, friends and people’s representatives, paid their respects to Chandra, who served in CRPF for nearly five years.
The mortal remains of the soldier reached Hassan around 7.40 p.m. on Wednesday. The district administration had made arrangements to keep the body at the mortuary in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. Later, the body was kept on the premises of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hassan, before taking it to his native village for the final rites.
Protest
The district administration faced the ire of relatives and family members of the soldier on Thursday over keeping the body on the DC office premises. The officials had planned to take the body to Arkalgud from the mortuary. As family members and relatives staged a protest alleging that the district administration was not showing due respect to the soldier, the officers decided to keep the body on the DC office premises.
Chandra’s father Swamy Gowda, mother Kalamma and wife Pruthvi were inconsolable.
Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, in a press release, said arrangements to take the mortal remains to Arkalgud from the mortuary were made only after consulting the family members. “Family members on Wednesday evening said the body be kept for public viewing in Arkalgud as they have many relatives nearby. As per their opinion, arrangements were made. However, a few members of the family on Thursday requested that the body be kept on the Hassan DC office premises. Again, as per their request, the administration kept the body for public viewing in Hassan,” she said.
A. Manju, Minister in-charge of Hassan, and H.S. Prakash, MLA. were among those who paid homage to the soldier.
