Protest in Hills over 'apathy' to martyr

darjeeling: Absence of Army personnel to receive and pay respect to a slain fellow Army man sparked protests at the Bagdogra Airport. The protestors even squatted on a busy thoroughfare bringing traffic to a halt.

Protests broke out when friends and family members of martyr Subedar Bidhan Ghising arrived at the Bagdogra Airport to receive the body of the brave heart. To their surprise, there were no army personnel to receive the body at the Bagdogra Airport. 35 year old Subedar Ghising of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles was martyred on September 20 while fighting terrorists in Kashmir. He was a resident of Pussimbing Tea Estate under the Sukhia Pohari block of Darjeeling. He is survived by his elderly parents, wife and two sons. The Army personnel accompanying the body later draped the coffin in the Tricolor. Ajoy Edwards, a politician from the Hills stated: "No one was there to pay respect to the martyr. Neither the Army, public representatives, officials or leaders had the time."