Jharkhand CM left red-faced as martyr's family refuses to accept soil from his grave

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das was embarrassed last week when a family of a Param Vir Chakra awardee refused to accept an urn that purportedly contained his remains.

Lance Naik Albert Ekka - who was killed in the 1971 Battle of Gangasagar - a part of the India-Pakistan war.

Ekka, who was a part of 14 Guards, was laid to rest at Dhulki, 15 kilometres from state capital Agartala. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra - the nation's highest military decoration.

His widow Balamdina Ekka had expressed the desire to see her husband's remains in an interview to a local newspaper. After the interview was published, the Bhootpurva Sainik Kalyan Samiti began preparations to bring the remains to Ranchi via Kolkata.

Ratan Tirkey, member of the Tribal Advisory council, alleged that the remains were sent in a plastic bag by a courier to Ranchi. This triggered speculation among the people but still Jharkhand govt decided to take it forward.

The vessel was then taken from Ranchi to Jari village of Gumla district by the CM and was felicitated at several places on the route. However, Ekka's family was not informed about the campaign.

Das and governor Draupadi Murmu also garlanded the martyr's statue at the Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi on Thursday before heading to his house in Gumla to hand over the remains, in a rather publicised affair. However, when Das showed up at her doorstep, Balamdina turned him away stating that state honours were not accorded to the urn. According to an Indian Express report, the family claimed they were not convinced that the soil actually came from the martyr's grave and alleged that it was not handled properly.

According to reports, the chief minister tried to convince them but failed. The remains were then handed over to area deputy commissioner Dinesh Chandra Mishra. Das has issued orders to bring the urn from Agartala with state honours.