Killed CRPF jawan Ratan Thakur was to become a father again

Ratan’s widow had spoken to him minutes before the gruesome incident. Ratan was travelling in the convoy to Srinagar at that time. He had told her that he would call her upon reaching Srinagar.

News of Ratan Kumar Thakur’s death, one of the CRPF soldiers killed in the suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on Thursday, sent shockwaves among the family members, relatives and the locals in Bhagalpur.

A native of Kahalgaon subdivision of the district, Thakur’s family, comprising his wife and son, stayed in a rented house on Bhatta Road of Isakchak locality for the child’s better studies. However, in the hour of grief, all the family members have converged at the killed jawan’s house. Rattan was a constable in CRPF’s 45 battalion.

His father, Ram Niranjan Thakur, remained inconsolable but managed to put up a brave face, asserting that he would not hesitate to sacrifice his other son to take revenge against the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists for the dastardly act.

“If required, I shall also pick up guns and don the battle fatigues to settle the score with the sponsors of terror strikes,” a sobbing Thakur said.

“Life isn’t going to be the same again as the loss cannot be compensated. Ratan was eldest of four siblings. He had joined the service in 2011 and was scheduled to come home during Holi to arrange and settle his sister’s marriage,” he said.

Ratan’s widow, Rajnandani, who he married in 2014, is pregnant and expecting the couple’s second child soon. Their first child, Krishna is three-years-old.

He had come home in July 2018 on an extended holiday, said Milan Kumar Thakur, his younger brother.

Ratan’s widow had spoken to him minutes before the gruesome incident. Ratan was travelling in the convoy to Srinagar at that time. He had told her that he would call her upon reaching Srinagar.

Locals assembled at Ratan’s house to console the bereaved family. Agitated people also raised slogans against Pakistan for sponsoring terror in India. Local authorities including DM Pranav Kumar and SSP Ashish Bharati also visited the house and assured all possible help to the family.