Beldanga (Bengal): The death of CRPF jawan Nirmal Ghosh, 30, in the Maoist encounter at Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district early on Wednesday, has left his parents and pregnant wife in Bengal's Murshidabad's district devastated.

Nirmal's father Narayan, a cosmetics salesman, and homemaker mother Bhagyabati could hardly speak when this correspondent approached them on Wednesday afternoon at Mahula village in Beldanga block.

"Nirmal was our only son. We are devastated by the news of his death. We received the news from one of his colleagues on Wednesday morning. We are left with nothing now. He was our only hope and his job had brought us comfort and joy. I can say nothing more," said father Narayan before breaking into sobs.

Nirmal's wife Mamoni is five months pregnant, his family members said. She fainted when she heard her husband had been martyred.

As the news spread, neighbours thronged the Ghosh family's single-storey house. Uncle Srimanta Ghosh said Nirmal got the job in CRPF in 2011.

"My nephew had come home on a month's leave and left only on July 6. He was such a jovial youth and everybody loved him," said Srimanta.

Nirmal's close friend Babai Ghosh recalled how the youth loved football. Before Nirmal got the CRPF job, he had set up a club, Vivekananda Sangha, in his village with a group of friends, Babai said. "He loved the club. We watched World Cup football matches at the club together. All of us (friends) can't believe Nirmal is no longer with us."

Murshidabad SP Mukesh Kumar told this paper they had received the news of the CRPF jawan's death.

"When the body arrives, we will pay our last respects through a gun salute."