GADAG: As a mark of respect to the departed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan of their village, residents of Hebbal in Shirahatti taluk of Gadag have decided not to celebrate Diwali this time.Jawan Basanagouda Patil (39) died of cardiac arrest in Assam around 2.30am on Sunday. A relative of the deceased man told The New Indian Express that as his mortal remains are expected to arrive at the village on Tuesday, the locals took a decision not to celebrate the festival.
Patil, who was serving the Assam battalion has left behind five sisters and as many brothers. He was the last among the 11 siblings. He married Sunita of Mundargi six years back and the couple has a daughter ‘Khushi’, who is one-and-a-half-years old now.He had joined the CRPF after completing his SSLC and served it for long 19 years. He was due to retire next year.
Senior CRPF officials from Assam informed the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Gadag that Patil was rushed to a hospital after he complained of chest pain on Sunday night and the doctors declared him died of cardiac arrest.Basanagouda Patil’s friend Chennaveergouda Patil told Express: “I lost a best friend. He visited Hebbal four months back. Before leaving for Assam, he had told us that he would come home for Diwali. But now, his body is coming. He had also told us that he would retire next year and come back to the village to lead a family life. We got the sad news on Sunday morning. His body reached Bangaluru on Monday evening and the funeral will be held on Tuesday.”
Shirahatti tahsildar A D Amarawadagi said: “We got the message of his demise on Sunday. We visited Hebbal and consoled his family members.”Basanagouda Patil’s wife Sunita had been to Mundargi to meet her parents when the news broke. Mundargi tahsildar Bhramaramba Gubbishetty visited her house at Mundargi and consoled her.