In a heartwarming gesture, the wife of a martyred policeman in Bastar district donated Rs 10,000 to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to fight coronavirus.

Moved by the gesture, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also appreciated the gesture on his Facebook page by posting the photograph of martyred jawan and his wife and children.

Recognising her contribution, the Bastar district administration also made a short video clip on her.

"My husband would often tell me that we must do whatever we can to help the needy. In the present scenario, I decided to follow my husband's appeal to help others," Radhika Sahu (32) told reporters.

Upendra Sahu, a head constable with the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), was one of the two policemen killed in a Naxal attack at Bastar on March 14.

Radhika Sahu lives with her two sons, aged 10 and six, in a rented house in Jagdalpur town and is surviving on the initial compensation given to the next of kin of martyrs.

Until now, the state government has given her a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh,  Radhika Sahu said, adding that she donated Rs 10,000 from it to the CMRF on Tuesday to fund the battle against coronavirus.

Hailing her contribution, Bastar superintendent of police Deepak Jha said, "We were overwhelmed by her noble gesture. However, initially, we discouraged her as she has to take care of her two minor sons, but she insisted and the district administration had to accept the donation."

The process was underway to provide her a job in the department on compassionate grounds, he said, adding that the remaining ex-gratia amount will be transferred to her at the earliest.