Raipur: Taking a strong action, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday said the official, who issued a notice to the family of martyred Special Police Officer (SPO) Kishore Pandey for return of Rs 10,000 spent on his funeral, has been suspended, and also sought explanation from Gariaband District's Superintendent of Police.
"The official who sent the letter has been suspended. I have spoken to the Chief Secretary and a notice has also been issued. We will investigate the matter thoroughly," Singh said.
Extending full support to the family of the bereaved, he said, "We should focus more on giving relaxation to families who have lost their loved ones rather than sending letters."
Earlier in the day, reports said the Chhattisgarh Police withdrew the order to return the amount in the wake of angry reactions in the media.
In a shocking case of apathy towards a fallen soldier, the Chhattisgarh Police had sent two notices to Pandey's family in this regard – first on June 08, 2014 and the second on April 12, 2015.
An advance of Rs 10,000 was immediately made for Pandey's last rites from non-government welfare fund, as per the notice sent to brother Kaushal Pandey. Pandey was killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on May 23, 2011.
Reacting to the incident, former Army chief and Minister of State for External Affairs General (retired) VK Singh said it could be a “clerical mistake”.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi called the incident as “something unbelievable”. The state government must take strongest, promptest action, added Singhvi.
The government has the "habit of insulting" the martyrs, state's Congress Unit spokesman Shailesh Nitin Trivedi alleged.
Earlier, there was an attempt to provide employment to the family members of former state Congress chief Nandkumar Patel and former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, both of whom were killed in Naxal attacks, on class IV posts.
There have also been incidents of transporting the bodies of deceased security personnel in garbage van and dumping their uniforms, he further alleged.
Trivedi said that according to police officials, the family members of security personnel killed in the Gariaband Naxal attack were given a compensation of Rs five lakh and also provided employment.
However, issuing such a notice to the family which has lost his son is an insult to the martyr, he alleged.
Chhatisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee also condemned the incident on Twitter.
Absolutely shocking treatment being meted out to families ofthe brave Martyrs by the BJP govt @INCIndia @priyankac19 pic.twitter.com/Hn1EGj59Ll
— Chhattisgarh PCC (@chhattisgarhpcc) April 14, 2015
