Gadchiroli blasts: Slain constables' kin demand high-level probe

Apart from being responsible commandos attached to the Quick Response Team QRT of Kurkheda police station Gadchiroli all the 15 policemen who were killed on May 1 in an IED blast triggered by Maoists were sole breadwinners for their families Most had toddlers and were an inspiration for their siblings and relatives who wanted to join the police force but after their demise are contemplating changing their future plansmidday reached out to some of these brave constables families Most of them are shocked with the happenings and have demanded a highlevel impartial probe into the happenings and a source of livelihood for the next of kin They want a probe because many of them claim standard procedures were not followed before the policemen took the routeA senior police officer said We have registered the case against unknown assailants and are probing the case from every possible angle The next of kin will get emoluments and compensation as per the rules The constables widows will get their salary till the age of their retirement every monthMartyr Kishor Bobate 32Post Constable QRTVillage Churmura Armori GadchiroliAmar Bobate a relative of Kishor told midday We have come across many Maoist attacks in the past wherein the modus operandi is that the Maoists torch vehicles and wait in anticipation for the police team to use the route to reach the spot when they ambush them But a police inspector incharge of QRT reached the location on his twowheeler with his bodyguard and then phoned this QRT team to come to the location This calls for a detailed probeKishor served the QRT since 2010 His first posting was Jimalgatta where he spent six years and then Kurkheda He never complained to us about such lapses by the concerned officer with whom he worked earlier Kishor was a graduate in Arts He was to apply for leave on May 2 as he was to join us for a wedding on May 15 but instead we got his body which was laid to rest on Thursday night Amar saidHe added Had Kishor died fighting naxals we would not have felt so bad He would have been a martyr But 15 QRT members were blown to bits within seconds and they could do nothing to defend themselves and therefore we want a probeMartyr Agraman Rahate 34PostConstable QRTVillage Arni YavatmalAshish Rahate 29 the younger brother of Agraman said We hail from a poor family and Agraman was the sole bread winner He did odd jobs to complete his HSC and joined the police force Our parents were farm labourers and earned R150 per day After our fathers death in 2006 our mother continued to run the family Agraman would give his salary home and was also supporting Ashishs education as he is appearing for the MPSC examination I wanted to join the police force but after his death I am rethinking my decision Agraman is survived by his wife Reshma 24 and two daughters Gargi 4 and Arushi who is 18 months old After the state honour at the police ground in Gadchiroli we were asked to take his body to our village said AshishMartyr Amrut Bhadade 32Post Constable QRTVillage Moudha Kuhi NagpurPraful Bhadade a relative said Amrut was posted in the worst Maoist prone areas of Ettapalli and it is surprising that he never sustained a single bullet wound or injury during earlier operations He was posted at Kurkheda since 2017 All we want to know is how and why did officers in charge not follow the protocol of sensitising the route before going to the location where the arson happenedAmrut leaves behind his wife Madhuri 26 and daughter Kashvi who is 18 months old His transfer to Nagpur rural police station was approved but due to the election code of conduct it was stalled He was laid to rest on Thursday night at the yet to be used cremation ground near their house after seeking permission from the tehsildar A large number of people gathered for his last rites He was the sole breadwinner for the family including his aged parentsMartyr Dayanand Shahare 38Post ConstableQRTVillage Dighori Mothi BhandaraWe just returned after immersing his ashes in the Wainganga river on Friday afternoon He was the only earning member in the family and had spoken to his wife Muranli 28 two days ago His two children are very young We request the government to help the family financially and also get a job for one of their relatives said Dayanands brotherinlawMartyr Puransha Duga 36Post Constable QRTVillageBhakrondi Armori GadchiroliKiran Duga Puranshas younger brother said He had come home in April to attend a wedding He last called on the fateful morning May 1 inquiring if labourers have come to dig the well near our house Few hours later we learnt about the blast and since he was posted in Kurkheda we suspected the worstWe are annoyed because no policemen from Gadchiroli accompanied the body The police department arranged an ambulance after the wreath laying ceremony at the police ground After getting the body here we did the final rites added Kiran Puransha is survived by his wife and two children Prajwal 4 and Anksh 3 and was the sole breadwinner in the familyCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates