Agra: The family members of CRPF soldier Kaushal Kumar Rawat, who was killed in the Pulwama terror attack in 2019, are being treated like ‘terrorists’ by police, RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary said Tuesday. He said the family members of the martyr tried to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding fulfilment of their demands which included allotment of land. However, they faced despicable behaviour from the police, Chaudhary claimed. He added that if the demands were not met in a week, his party workers would stage a protest at the district headquarters in Agra.
“I’ve come to meet the family members and to support them to get their unmet demands met. This is not an ordinary family, this is the family that has made a supreme sacrifice for the nation. However, the UP government wants to entangle them in paperwork. Even after two years, their demands have not been met,” said Chaudhary.
“It was not that the family wanted anything. The Yogi Adityanath government had promised them land and other benefits. But that did not happen. When the family went to meet Adityanath during his Agra tour Sunday, the local police did not allow them to meet him and took them to a police station. They were treated like terrorists and criminals,” Chaudhary alleged.
The RLD leader said he would write a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind and apprise him about the family’s condition. “Besides, I would also make arrangements for the family to meet UP Governor Anandiben Patel,” he added.
The soldier’s son Abhishek Rawat told this agency that the government has not allocated land to the family for personal use like it had given to families of other CRPF soldiers.
“A gun license has not been issued to us and there is delay in the construction work of the entrance gate in the locality. Besides, one day salary of fellow cops was to be given to us, but it has not been released. And free electricity connection to the family,” he said.
However, Additional District Magistrate (City) Prabhakant Awasthi asserted that most of the demands of the family have been met. He added efforts are underway to fulfill the remaining promises. He said a proposal for the renaming of the crossing has been sent to the Nagar Nigam and a request for free electricity connection has been sent to the power department.
