A policeman pays homage to the martyrs. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, April 21: Passers-by and curious onlookers came to a standstill as a cannon boomed in tribute to the 28 policemen killed in Baliba, at a function held beside Adityapur Main Road.

The cannon barrel, which was fixed between two moped wheels, was requisitioned for a function to pay tribute today to the 28 policemen killed in the MCC-triggered landmine explosion on April 7.

As soon as Seraikela subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Subodh Kumar and Adityapur police station officer in-charge Surya Bhushan Sharma lit the Amar Jawan flame, the cannon exploded, igniting the firecrackers put inside the barrel of the cannon.

“It looks superb. It is so easy to operate,” an impressed youngster in shorts, said.

Policemen, industrialists, social workers of every hue lined up to pay floral tributes to the jawans, whose portraits were encased in wooden frames. The Amar Jyoti flame was doused when a storm threatened to spoil the proceedings organised by Jan Jagran Samity, an Adityapur-based social organisation. The SDPO and the Adityapur officer in-charge were requested to light the flame again.

Entrepreneurs, including Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA) president V.P. Singh and his predecessor S.N. Thakur, arrived in their gleaming cars to join the rest of the people.

'Unlike the military, who guard our borders, policeman are responsible for internal security. We need all the support from society. Never in my 22 years of police service have I come across such a gesture in memory of policemen,” said SDPO Kumar.

Before catching hold of the microphone to address the gathering, Kumar asked his bodyguard to fetch his briefcase which contained a sheet on which a poem on Kargil was scribbled by his 10-year-old son.

“I am reading this poem on Kargil. But it can always be related with the Saranda incident,” said the senior police official.

Rich tributes were paid to the parents of Satyanarayan Singh, a resident of Bhatia slum in Adityapur, and West Singhbhum police superintendent Pravin Kumar’s bodyguard.

“I feel honoured to speak about the contribution of parents of the slain jawan whose elder brother also fell to the bullets of extremists. Hats off to Singh’s parents who allowed him to join the police even though they had lost their elder son,” Kumar added.

The organisers were worried about the deteriorating weather conditions as grey clouds hung low. “Please pay your floral tributes as quickly as possible. Rain may fall anytime,” announced a member.

Those who sat in the back row shouted patriotic slogans, praising the courage and contribution of the martyr jawans. Industrialists and social workers also spoke on the occasion.