Amidst deafening cries of grief at martyred soldier Vijay Soreng’s thatched house in Gumla district, a shrill yet confident voice expressed the desire to join the police force and serve the country. As tears trickled down her cheeks, Soreng’s 13-year-old daughter vowed to continue her family’s legacy of joining the security forces and make her braveheart father proud.
Rekha Kumari, a student of class 6, was not ready to make peace with the loss that her family has incurred. “I will join the security forces and serve the country just like my father did,” she said as her voice quivered with agony.
Soreng, 43, one of more than 40 CRPF jawans martyred in the Pulwama attack on Thursday, is survived by five children, his widow and parents. His father Birish Soreng is a retired army man who takes pride in being father of a martyr. “I am proud of my son. He was a soldier who died on the line of duty. But his sacrifice should not go in vain,” he said, asking the government to avenge the death of jawans.
Soreng’s body is likely to reach his hometown on Saturday.
All the martyred jawan’s bodies will be brought by air to New Delhi and then sent to their respective houses, CRPF officials said on Friday.
His widow, Bimla Soreng’s sadness knew no bound, neither did her anger. Bimla and Soreng’s mother Laxmi Devi demanded immediate action by the government to find and neutralize every militant involved in planning and executing the attack.
On February 5, Soreng had come home on a two-day leave. He spoke to his wife over a phone call on Thursday morning and told her about how his battalion was battling extreme weather conditions in Kashmir, Soreng’s brother Sanjay Soreng told the media.
On Friday, Chief Minister Raghubar Das expressed condolence to the family and announced an ex-gratia of Rs.10 lakh for the bereaved family. He also assured that one of the survivours in the family will be given a government job. Das talked to the wife of martyr and said that the whole country was with the family in the hour of grief.
“Our brave soldiers’ martyrdom will not go in vain. We have pledged to fight terrorism till the last breath, and our country will not spare any of the militants involved in this heinous, cowardly act,” Das said.
Soreng was born in an extremely backward, tribal-dominated Kumhari Farsama village of Basia Block in Gumla in the year 1974. He completed his schooling in the village and joined the CRPF in 1993 while pursuing higher studies in Ranchi.