Pulwama martyr's wife upset over Delhi travel plans

Pulwama martyr Bablu Santra's wife Mita Santra, on Thursday, raised questions over arrangements to take her family to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi by making them travel with kin of slain BJP activists in the State.

The Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had arranged her travel by Rajdhani Express along with relatives of BJP activists killed in political violence.

"There should have been separate arrangements for taking the kin of Pulwama martyrs to Delhi. Why should we travel with them (relatives of slain BJP workers)," she said.

She also expressed her unhappiness over calling slain BJP activists martyrs and bracketing them with the security personnel killed in Pulwama.

Husband of Mita Santra, a resident of the Howrah district, was one of the 40 CRPF jawans killed in a suicide attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, on February 14. She along with her daughter and mother-in-law had been invited to Modi's swearing-in ceremony.

She said her visit to the ceremony had no connection with the BJP and hoped that it would not be given a political colour. "Howrah district BJP chief Anupam Mullick invited us to Delhi. We are going as a courtesy visit," Mita Santra said.

West Bengal BJP Secretary Tushar Kanti Ghosh, coordinating the visit, said Santra and her family members were accommodated in a separate coach in the train. "They were given a separate coach.

They didn't have to travel with the relatives of the slain BJP activists. They have also been provided a separate accommodation in Delhi," Ghosh said and added, "We have the highest regard for our soldiers and their families."

Meanwhile, relatives of Sudip Biswas, other Pulwama martyr from Bengal, flew to New Delhi on Thursday morning. When asked about separate arrangement for the family of Biswas, the BJP leader said they themselves bore the cost of the travel.