Gumla: The family of the CRPF trooper from Gumla district of Jharkhand killed in the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack has accused the administration of neglecting the village in the government's development works. Havildar Vijay Soreng of Farsama village under Basia block of Gumla district of Jharkhand was among the 40 CPRF troopers killed in the February 14, 2019 attack along the Jammu-Srinagar highway at Lethpora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir.
On the fourth anniversary of the attack, rich tributes are being paid to the fallen soldiers. At Soreng's native village in Farsama, the local CRPF battalion and the civil administration on Tuesday organised a programme and laid a wreath at the statue installed inside the High School Kumhari. The relatives of the slain soldier, however, expressed resentment that many announcements were made earlier over developing the village as a model village, but the claims had fallen flat.
“Although the ex-gratia money was released, neither the village was developed nor a road was laid. The facility of drinking water was also not made available,” Birish Soreng, father of slain Vijay Soreng told ETV Bharat at his residence in Farsama. Birish demanded that the administration fulfil its promises regarding the development.
Over the 2014 Pulwama attack, Birish said that it was a cowardly attack. “Had he (Vijay) been killed in the battlefield, we would be more proud, but they killed him in cold blood,” Birish said. Birish has himself been in the Army and retired recently. Following his father's footsteps, Vijay joined the army in 1993 with the spirit of serving the country.
Later, he was inducted as commando in the SPG squad in 1995. At the time of Pulwama incident, he was posted as head constable in the CRPF 12th Battalion. Birish said that there had been no response from the administration over the demand to rename the Kumhari Talab Chowk as Vijay Chowk and a statue also be installed there.
“The stadium should be constructed in the name of the martyr and the road leading to the martyr's house should be also be renamed after him, but till now not even a single demand of ours has been fulfilled,” Birish said. He said that in view of the government's apathy, the villagers installed a statue of martyr Vijay Soreng at the intersection in Kumhari Talab Chowk.
Slain Vijay Soreng's brother Sanjay said that they still cannot believe that Vijay is no more. Vijay's first wife Carmela Ba is working as a constable in the Jharkhand Police Women's Battalion in Ranchi Hotwar. His second wife Vimla lives at her maternal home Simdega. After Vijay's death, CRPF had offered a job to 24-year-old Arun, the son from his first wife, but Arun had demanded a civil job from the government. However, even after getting a civil job, he refused to join the duty for unknown reasons. Slain Soreng has three daughters and a son from his second wife.
