Lucknow: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has issued post-dated appointment letters to the minor dependents of its 75 troopers massacred by Maoists in Chhattisgarh`s Dantewada area April 6 to enable them to directly walk into the force on turning 18, an official said Saturday.
Of the 43 troopers who belonged to Uttar Pradesh, 20 have left behind minor children and they could not right away be inducted into the organisation on compassionate grounds because they are underaged.
"The youngest of the victims’ kin is just about three years and would have to wait for a good 15 years before we could offer him a job in the organisation," a CRPF spokesman said Saturday.
"To avoid legal complications and the harassment of having to run from pillar to post after so many years, we decided to hand over appointment letters to each of them right now. All they would be required to do on attaining the age of 18 years was to present this appointment letter and walk in without being asked any questions," he said.
Such appointments were made in all such cases where the widows of the troopers were not in a position to take up the job offer themselves, the spokesman said.
Abhishek Yadav, the youngest appointee, was born Feb 18, 2007. His mother, Savitri Devi was the first to be formally handed over the appointment letter at the CRPF`s central sector headquarters here Friday. Abhishek`s father Vinod Kumar Yadav hailed from Sangrampur village in Sultanpur district, about 140 km from here.
As a special case, the brothers of two troopers, who were bachelors, were also inducted despite being overaged. "The laid down entry age of 18-23 years was specially relaxed in case of both, who are 35 years of age," the spokesman added.
CRPF Inspector General (Central Sector) BK Sharma has issued instructions to the group centres at Rampur, Allahabad and Bijnore to make arrangements for handing over the remaining appointment letters to the next of kin of the victims.
Meanwhile, the CRPF has also released a sum of Rs.26.60 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of each of the 75 slain troopers.
IANS
