Martyr kin get cheques, job offer - Soldier’s statue to be put up at Parade Grounds in Alipurduar town

Cheques being handed over to Rumpa Roy and Niren Roy at Bindipara, Alipurduar, on Saturday. (Anirban Choudhury)

Anirban Choudhury, TT, 21.06.20, Alipurduar: Trinamul leaders and senior officials of Alipurduar district on Saturday met the bereaved family of martyr Bipul Roy, a havildar in the Indian army killed in the Ladakh clash, and handed them Rs 5 lakh in two cheques and an offer letter of a state government job.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced the compensation and jobs for families of Bengal martyrs Bipul and Rajesh Orang.

Alipurduar MLA Sourav Chakroborty, district magistrate Surendra Kumar Meena, Alipurduar Zilla Parishad sabhadhipati Shila Das Sarkar and state refugee and rehabilitation department chairman Mridul Goswami reached Bindipara village around 4pm. They met Bipul’s father Niren and wife Rumpa and gave two cheques of Rs 2.5 lakh to each.

A letter signed by Meena offering a state job to a family member of the slain soldier was given. “Now the family has to decide who will get the job,” MLA Chakraborty said.

Bipul’s wife Rumpa is a postgraduate and his brother Bakul a graduate.

A martyr’s column would be raised in front of Bipul’s alma mater Bindipara BFP School to honour him and other Indian martyrs in the clash, the MLA said. The soldier’s statue will be put up at Parade Grounds in Alipurduar town.

On Friday, thousands paid homage to Bipul’s mortal remains and his last rites was conducted with full state honours.

Asked about the job offer, Rumpa said her only aim was to bring up her daughter well, but the final decision on who would take up the job would be taken by “family elders”.

Shakuntala Orang arrives at the SDO office in Suri on Saturday. (Himadri Mondal)

Job for sister on fast track- No delay in helping families of slain soldiers 

Snehamoy Chakraborty Bolpur(Birbhum): The Bengal government has fast-tracked issuing an appointment letter to Shakuntala Orang, the sister of martyred jawan Rajesh Orang.

Rajesh, a tribal youth who hailed from Birbhum, was among the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley stand-off on June 15.

“We have been asked to expedite the process of issuing the appointment letter. We started the work and related documents would be sent to Nabanna within three to four days,” said a senior official.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had promised the families of both Bengal martyrs Rs 5 lakh each and a government job to a member of each family.

Shakuntala, 20, is pursuing her graduation from Ranishwar College in Jharkhand. The district authorities on Saturday sent a team to Rajesh’s home in Belgoria village to bring Shakuntala to the SDO office in Suri with documents.

Shakuntala, who gave the required documents to SDO Rajib Mondal, later said: “The job is crucial for our family after my brother’s death. I was assured that paperwork would be done very soon.”

A Trinamul source said that the state government sped up the process to prevent BJP from playing “dirty politics over the issue”.

A team from state government headed by state agriculture minister Asish Banerjee handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh on Friday to Rajesh’s father Subhas Orang, a marginal farmer.