Rs 2.5 mn, house, job for children of slain Kerala trooper

Pulwama attack

Thiruvananthapuram: A cash compensation of Rs 2.5 million, a brand new house, a permanent government job and free education for the two children of CRPF havaldar V.V. Vasanth Kumar were announced on Tuesday after the trooper was killed in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said this to the media here after the weekly cabinet meeting.

“Of the cash compensation, Rs 1.5 million would be given to the widow, while Rs 1 million will go to Vasanth Kumar’s mother,” Vijayan said.

The Central Reserve Police Force personnel’s wife at present works in a temporary post of assistant at the state-run Veterinary College at Wayanad.

“That will be turned into a permanent job. The two children’s education will now be taken care of by the Kerala government,” said Vijayan.

“Today the widow and her kids live in a home built by Vasanath Kumar’s father and there are other claimants to that home. So it has been decided to build a new home for the widow and her kids,” added the Chief Minister.

The day the mortal remains of Vasanth Kumar was brought to his home in Wayanad last week, the state government had committed that the cabinet meeting on February 19 would take a call on the best way to compensate the huge loss to the family.

The 40-year-old Vasanth Kumar had returned to Srinagar earlier in February to take up his new assignment, after spending 10 days at home.

He had completed 18 years of service and was due to take retirement in less than two years’ time. He is survived by his mother, his wife, and two children - an eight-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. (IANS)

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