Guwahati, Feb. 16 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma turned pallbearers as the body of a CRPF jawan killed in the Pulwama attack reached the IAF airport here.
Sonowal laid a wreath at the coffin wrapped in the national flag at the IAF airport, adjacent to the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport here.
CRPF head constable Maneswar Basumatari was among the 40 personnel killed in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday.
"The nation will fight unitedly to protect the sovereignty of our country. Basumatari's sacrifice along with the other CRPF jawans will not go in vain. We are united to fight those anti-national forces for ensuring the security of our country," Sonowal told reporters here.
Sarma said he had full faith in the Army.
"I have full faith in our Army that they will fight till the last terrorist is wiped out of Kashmir. The Army and security forces have been given free hand by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Victory will be achieved," he said as chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai" rend the air.
The coffin was taken to Basumatari's village at Kalabari in lower Assam's Baksa district by a special IAF helicopter for the last rites.
CRPF sources said as the aircraft carrying Basumatari's coffin, along with those of other martyrs from J&K got delayed, a special IAF aircraft transported his body to Guwahati for the onward journey to Kalabari.
