Assam martyr laid to rest with full state honours

Guwahati: CRPF head constable Maneshwar Basumatari, martyred in Thursday’s Pulwama attack, was laid to rest on Saturday with full state honours at his native Kolbari village at Tamulpur in Baksa district, about 150 km from here.
The mortal remains of the soldier, who had served in the paramilitary force for more than 25 years, were flown in to Guwahati from the Palam Airport in New Delhi in an Indian Air Force plane around 6.30pm.

As chants of ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ and ‘veer jawan amar rahe’ rang in the air, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma turned pallbearers, carrying the coffin to an Indian Air Force chopper, which carried his remains to Kalabari.

Thousands had been waiting all day at Kalabari to pay their last respects to the fallen soldier. “He is the pride of Tamulpur,” said a local, camping since morning to catch a glimpse of Basumatari.

Maneswar leaves behind a daughter, Didmaswari, and a son, Dhananjay — both college students. Dhananjay performed the last rites.

His wife, beyond herself with grief, bade him a tearful farewell. The last time Sanmati Basumatari had seen her husband was during Magh Bihu festivities last month. And the last time they spoke was on Thursday, he told her he was travelling in a convoy with others. “Little did I know that those words would be his last,” she said, before breaking into tears.

Business establishments across the state were shut as the state mourned the deaths. “As we stand together in a moment of huge grief and tribulation, I believe that this martyrdom will not go in vain. Jai Hind. #SwahidPranamoTumak,” Sonowal tweeted.

“Forever, my dear Maneswar Basumatary, we shall remain indebted to you. In you, we’ve not only lost a son, a brother, husband and a friend but also a hope for tomorrow. Rest assured, we have vowed to not rest till we avenge the #PulwamaSacrifice,” Sarma tweeted.