JABALPUR: In just three years, Pulwama martyr Ashwini Kumar Kacchi seems to have been forgotten by politicians and officials alike.
On Monday, only his family members and some villagers turned up to garland his statue - built by his kin with their own money - and cry 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.
The near-desolation is a far cry from the scene in 2019 when the CM, ministers and a host of MLAs and top officials had made a beeline for Khudawal village, Kacchi's native place, 50km from Jabalpur, for his funeral. They promised he wouldn't be forgotten.
On Monday, the braveheart's third martyrdom anniversary, no official or public representative went to Khudawal, his niece Priyanka Kacchi told TOI. "Leaders only come for votes," she added with anguish.
"We organised a 'kanya bhoj' in our village in memory of my brother. We have built a memorial and erected a statue on our own. The government had promised to name a school in his name and build a playground, neither of which has been done," the martyr's elder brother, Sumanth Kacchi, told TOI.
His father Sukru Kumar Kacchi said: "We got no help to observe his martyrdom day. Now, two (of the promised) works are left - naming a school after my son and constructing a playground."
Cost family ₹6.5L to install statue
Family members had pooled money on their own and got a statue of Kachhi installed in the village park. It cost them Rs 6.5 lakh.
On Monday, the family paid homage at the statue and arranged a feast for 50 girls of the village.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted his tribute to all the Pulwama terror attack martyrs.
