Raksha Bandhan: Sister of late police constable, who was killed by Naxals, ties rakhi to his statue in Chhattisgarh

Dantewada: Shanti Udke, sister of late police constable Rajesh Gaikwad, who died during a search operation in 2014, ties a ‘rakhi’ to his statue every Raksha Bandhan. [caption id=“attachment_5047281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Shanti Udke, sister of late police constable ties rakhi to his statue. ANI[/caption] Posted in Sukma’s Tongpal area, Gaikwad was killed by Naxals on 11 March, 2014. “I shared a very special relationship with my brother. He was posted in Tongpal. However, he passed away during a search operation in 2014. I feel bad that I can’t tie a Rakhi to him in person, but I’m proud of him. He was my only sibling,” Udke told ANI. Raksha Bandhan is being celebrated across India. In a press conference earlier this month, Special Director General (Anti-Naxal Operations) DM Awasthi said that from January 2016 till now security forces have conducted 518 encounters against Naxals and recovered 678 arms. “From January 2016 till now, 2734 Naxals have been arrested and 1852 Naxals have surrendered before police due to government’s surrender policy,” Awasthi had said. He added that a total of 137 security personnel have lost their lives in incidents related to Naxals, during the last two-and-a-half years.