Remembering Warriors: 'Shall send second son to fight for motherland too', says Martyr's Father

Ratan Thakur, 30, Bihar

The residents of Bhagalpur mourned the loss of constable Ratan Thakur, who was the sole bread earner of his family.

"I had done several odd jobs as labourer, hawker, juice-seller to teach him and bring him up as a responsible citizen. Our woes ended when he joined the CRPF in 2011 and I had hoped that he will support us in our old age. But destiny had other plans for him," said Niranjan Thakur, Ratan's father.

He said, "Ratan has a four-year-old son Krishna and his wife Raj Nandini is expecting. He had last come home in July and wanted to celebrate this Holi with us. My son is a martyr and I will not stop in sending my second son in the service of the motherland, but I want the government to avenge my son's death. Pakistan must get a reply."

While Ratan was a native of Kahalgaon, his family had shifted to Bhagalpur for the education of his younger brother and sister. "He wanted to get his younger sister married to a government sector employee but now all plans will remain unfulfilled," he said.