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Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, February 15
The gory Pulwama incident in which 42 CRPF jawans lost their lives evoked anger and protests in the district.
Students of Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) burned the flag of Pakistan and organised a march braving heavy rain in the region. Students of Government College, Dharamsala, and other private institutes carried out candlelight marches.
Residents irrespective of their political affiliations expressed their anger and demanded strict action against perpetrator of the attack. Ritesh, a student of the Government College, said that it was high time that the Indian Government must avenge the death of martyrs. “If a small nation like Israel can act against terrorists attacking them from bases in neighbouring countries, then why not the Indian Government act against them,” he said. Similar sentiments were expressed by many as the incident led to gloom in Kangra that had a substantial population of ex-servicemen and youth serving in the armed forces.
Many political and social functions in the district were cancelled due to the Pulwama incident. The Kangra district, which has about 1 lakh youth serving in the Army and paramilitary forces, lost another brave heart, Tilak Raj, a resident of Dhewa village in Jawali subdivision.
There are 60,000 ex-servicemen and an equal number of servicemen from the district in the armed forces that was the highest for any district in the country. Himachal as a whole has about 1,20,000 servicemen and an equal number of ex-servicemen in the armed forces. The contributions of residents of Himachal in the armed forces can be gauged from the fact that soldiers from the state have been honoured with over 1,100 gallantry awards.
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