That Last Phone Call: Pulwama Martyr’s Family Mourns Losing Brave Son, Awaits Govt Support

Rajnandini, who is now raising her two sons, has one request before the district administration — to build a memorial in honour of her husband.

Bhagalpur (Bihar): Exactly six years ago, on February 14 afternoon, CRPF jawan Ratan Thakur telephoned his wife Rajnandini saying he is heading to Srinagar and that he would call her again after reaching there. That call from Ratan never came. Desperately waiting to hear from him, his family members received the news that he was martyred in the terrorist attack in Pulwama.

For Rajnandini, who was pregnant then, the ground under her feet slipped. Her married life was shattered in a moment when she heard that Ratan is no more. In service of the nation, Ratan still spared time to call his wife every evening, visibly concerned about her health. All at once, it came to an end.

"I spoke to him at 3 PM the same day. He said he would call me after reaching Srinagar. He said he would come on Holi. When everyone at home started discussing about Ratan and our elder son, something got me nervous," said Rajanandini, wife of martyr Ratan Thakur.

Ratan and Rajnandini's elder son Krishna, who was four years old at the time, lit his father’s funeral pyre. Today, at ten, he dreams of becoming a soldier like his father.

Wife and children of Pulwama martyr Ratan Thakur of Bhagalpur (ETV Bharat)

The Pulwama Terror Attack

Forty soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) lost their lives when Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad attacked their convoy in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, 2019. A suicide bomber crashed the explosive-laden vehicle into the bus carrying the CRPF personnel, killing 40 jawans on the spot.

Among the martyred jawans was Ratan Thakur of Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur, who had joined the CRPF in 2011. Another brave soldier from Bihar, Head Constable Sanjay Kumar Sinha, a resident of Taregana in Patna, also lost his life in the attack.

It has been six years since the dastardly terror attack in Pulwama, but the wounds of the families are still raw. Today, the entire nation is paying tributes to the brave martyrs who laid their lives for the country.

A Call Came From The Control Room

Recalling the tragic day he learnt of his son's demise, Ratan's father Ramniranjan Thakur broke down, still feeling the pain. "We received a call from the control room asking if Ratan had any other number? The number he was using was switched off. Such calls from the control room come only when there is some tragedy. My body started to tremble. I asked the commanding officer several times to let me know if there was any problem, but no information was shared. It was only after I watched TV, I could sense that my son was martyred. Next morning at 7 AM, we received a confirmation that he is no more," Ramniranjan Thakur said.

Family Alleges Lack Of Govt Support

The state government had reportedly assured that it would provide a house to the family of the martyred soldier, but his family continues to live in a rented house in Bhagalpur. Every year, tributes are paid to Ratan in his native village, but at the family's expenses.

Ratan's father said, "The Bihar government and local representatives had announced to provide all the comforts and facilities, but many of the promises have not been fulfilled yet. We still live in a rented house next to a dirty drain. There is no provision for healthcare or education for my grandchildren either."

Rajnandini, who is now raising her two sons, Krishna (10) and five-year-old Ramcharit, has one request before the district administration - to build a memorial in honour of her husband.

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