A 27-year-old Central Reserve Police Force commando drowned on Saturday while trying to save an assistant commandant of the force from getting washed away in a swollen river when they were returning after an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma.
Officials said Suraj R, the commando, was from Kerala’s Kollam and was posted to Sukma a few days earlier. His body and the weapon were recovered about 700 metres away while the assistant commandant Chandan Kumar survived.
The two were part of a party deployed for the operation following inputs on the Maoist movement inside a forest. The party did not find anything after a search operation around the spot where Maoists were suspected to be holed up. It was returning to a CRPF base when it found the Ventawagu Nullah had swollen following overnight rainfall.
“We are trained for such situations. The best swimmer of the team was sent across the nullah first with a rope tied to his waist. He crossed the nullah and tied the rope on the other side of the bank with a tree,” said CRPF commandant Ashok Yadav.
Suraj, the ninth member of the team, was just about to reach the other side when he returned to the middle responding to Kumra’s cry for help.
“Chandan apparently got stuck midway while swimming across the nullah…Suraj was quick to respond and went back to help Chandan… A few other team members too jumped in and were trying to get Chandan to safety when Suraj got washed away. The team was able to save Chandan but Suraj was swept away.”
Kumar said Suraj showed exemplary courage. “I have no words for it. He saved me and I can never forget his smiling face,” said Kumar.
