GUWAHATI:  Maneswar Basumatary's last wish of capturing a family photo was left unfulfilled. Hailing from Kalbari village, around 110 km north-west of Guwahati, in Assam's Baksa district bordering Bhutan, the 48-year-old was among the CRPF jawans killed during Thursday's suicide attack by a militant at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

His daughter Didwmshree said he had desired to capture a family photo before leaving for duty on February 4. "I was sleeping when he was leaving. He called me out. My mother (Sanmati) and my aunty were also there at home. He had desired to have a family photo but it didn't happen as my brother (Dhananjay) was away in Kokrajhar where he studies in a college," Didwmshree, a college graduate, said.

She also said that Basumatary had always wanted her to get up from sleep early in the morning and help her mother in household chores. During his 25 years of service that ended abruptly on Thursday, Basumatary had served thrice in Kashmir earlier.

The latest was his fourth term in the militancy-ravaged state and he could barely work for around six months. He had come home in January on a month's leave but had to report for duty midway. "He came home on a month's leave but had to report for duty midway as he was called by his unit. Who knew we would never see him again alive," lamented Kamal Bodo, Basumatary's nephew.

Basumatary's wife Sanmati is inconsolable ever since the local media broke the news of the tragedy.-"She has been only crying since last evening. She has stopped eating food and is not talking to anybody. She hasn't been able to accept the reality," Bodo said, adding that Basumatary was the lone breadwinner in the family. "Now that he is no more, I don't know how the family members will eke out a living," he said. After the incident, senior officials of CRPF, district administration besides politicians visited Basumatary's house. The locals have also kept swarming the house.