AURANGABAD: Sunday was a day of profound sadness for the family members and well-wishers of Sudhakar Shinde (45), an Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) assistant commandant from Bamni village in Mukhed taluka of Nanded district who was recently killed in a Maoist attack. Especially overwhelmed were his five sisters, as instead of tying rakhis to their brother on Raksha Bandha, they had to attend his cremation on Sunday.
Shinde was cremated with full state honours on Sunday morning. He was killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district on August 20. His six-year-old son, Kabir, lit the pyre, as family members, relatives, neighbours and residents of the Bamni village broke down in tears.
Haribhau Waghmare, Shinde’s collegemate said, “He was the eldest of seven siblings and was instrumental in arranging for all his sisters’ weddings. Shinde had to shoulder the responsibilities of his family from a very young age. His parents are marginal farmers. He was the primary breadwinner of the family for many years until things improved recently.”
Shinde took 13 bullets to his body and died on the spot when a small group of armed Maoists fired on a squad of ITBP personnel during an area domination exercise in Narayanpur. He is survived by his wife, a four-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son, and elderly parents.
Shinde, who had done BSc in agriculture from Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, had joined the ITBP and gone on to become an assistant commandant.
Ramchandra Jadhav, the sarpanch of Bamni village, said Shinde was of very humble nature. “As he had seen hardships growing up, he was very sensitive. We have always been proud of him,” he said.
Maharashtra PWD minister Ashok Chavan, who attended Shinde’s last rites along with other public representatives, said the state government would provide all support possible to the martyr’s family.
