Noida: Residents mourn Pulwama martyrs

NOIDA\GREATER NOIDA: Residents from Noida and Greater Noida held memorial services and candle light prayer meets across the city following Thursday’s killing of over 40 CRPF personnel at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

While some called for concrete action, residents from one high rise society called all owners to light candles in their balconies at 8pm as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Noida Authority has cancelled the first night Raahgiri slated for Saturday, February 16; it has now been shifted to next Saturday, February 23.

“Words cannot express the grief shared by the nation on the recent terror attacks in Phulwama. To share this grief and honour, our brave CRPF jawans who were martyred on February 14, we have cancelled this Saturday's sunset Raahgiri slated for February 16. It will now be launched next Saturday on February 23. We pray that the departed souls rest in peace,” said Rajeev Tyagi Noida Authority.

Apart from this, all staff from Noida Authority’s electrical engineering department took to two-minute silence in their office commemorating the dead jawans.

Sukhveer Pahalwan, who has been on a sit-in protest at authority office over land compensation issues of farmers along with supporters, also took a break from the protest to prayer for the departed souls. “All the farmers present outside the Noida Authority office paid tribute to the young martyrs who were killed in the Kashmir attack. We did a havan for their soul’s peace and kept a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to them. We have deferred our protest till tomorrow and will continue the agitation on land dues from Saturday,” said Pahalwan who was supported by others present on the occasion including Tejpal Yadav, Madani Yadav, Raj Pal Arya, Parashuram Chaudhary Sudesh Yadav, Sanjay Sharma, wrestler Chetan, Kalu, Sumit Gurjar and more.

While many retired army personnel in Noida condemned the attack, residents from sector 47, 44, 49 etc. gathered at Shaheed Park in sector 29 around 5pm and lit lamps in prayer for the departed jawans. “We have organised a memorial service for the martyred jawans on Saturday and have urged all residents to gather at the society gate to light candles and hold a two-minute silence in memory of the lives lost,” said Pawan Yadav, resident of Century apartment sector 100.

Noida RWA federation founding member Sushil Agarwal said, "In view of what has happened in J&K yesterday, is this not proper to abolish Article 370 immediately?"

Another resident Anil Garg maintained, "It's not just that few jawans died. Many mothers lost their sons, many women became widows, many children were orphaned in this attack," said Garg.

Residents in high rise apartments in sector 119, 120 etc. took to lighting candles as mark of respect for the martyrs. “I urged all residents to light three candles in their balcony at 8pm onwards to show our support, solidarity and strength to jawans and their family,” said Deepti Tripathi, a resident of sector 119.

Candle light was also lit by traders at Savitri Market sector 18, industries from Udyog vihar sector 82, sector 34 Aravalli Apartment, a prayer meet by residents of sector 110 and more.

In Greater Noida, members of a farmers’ organization along with Bajrang Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini took out an effigy of Pakistan as a body and raised slogans against terrorism and Pakistan calling it a cowardly attack.

Apart from this, processions and candle march were organized at Pari Chowk, Greater Noida West, Amritpuram roundabout and Knowledge Park area where small groups of residents, local outfits, traders associations and students staged a protest to condemn the attack against CRPF personnel.

Satendra Raghav, a local head of a right-wing organization, told TOI, “Pakistan should not be given any more chances to make cowardly attacks and the government should ensure that the lives of the innocent soldiers should not go in vain,” said Raghav.

Meanwhile, the cops at Dadri police station observed a two-minute silence in remembrance to the soldiers who died in the attacks.