Somapurti was rescued from the encounter site on 29 January and hospitalised in Ranchi. Constable Rajkamal donated B+ blood when the need arose.

New Delhi: The security forces are often accused of being insensitive by some sections of society, but constable Rajkamal of the CRPF showcased their humane side when he donated blood to save a dreaded Naxal in Jharkhand.

Somapurti was injured in an encounter with the specialised anti-Naxal unit CoBRA, and Rajkamal, who belongs to the 133 Battalion, donated blood to save his life.

Somapurti was critically injured in a fierce gun battle on 29 January with 209 CoBRA, at the boundary of the Khunti and West Singhbhum districts, and was evacuated from the site by the same security forces he was targeting.

In the fierce encounter, five Naxals were killed and two, including Somapurti, were injured. The forces recovered five bodies, two AK-47 rifles, two .303 rifles and five pistols.

Somapurti was then hospitalised at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, by the Jharkhand Police.

“Yesterday (4 February), we got a call from the hospital saying he is in dire need of B+ blood. Our constable Rajkamal immediately volunteered and donated the blood at the hospital,” Jharkhand sector CRPF IGP Sanjay Anand Lathkar told ThePrint.

Recognising this humanitarian gesture, Lathkar has commended Rajkamal and honoured him with a cash reward.

Lathkar said, in Jharkhand, the CRPF is the biggest blood donor. “In the last one year, CRPF personnel have donated 3,000 units of blood voluntarily. And so, when hospitals suddenly need blood, they contact us instantly,” he said.

This is not the first time that CRPF have come to the rescue of injured Naxals. On 8 February 2018, woman Naxal Manju Baiga was critically injured in an exchange of fire with troops of the 134 Battalion in Palamu district of Jharkhand. Evacuated and hospitalised by the troops, she was provided blood by constable Gulzar of the same battalion a couple of days later, due to a medical emergency.

A CRPF officer who did not wish to be identified commented: “We may be divided by ideology, but remain united by humanity. And now blood.

 

Find the best cartoons of the day, funny yet intelligent, on Last Laughs

  • 16
    Shares