NEW DELHI: "It is a very important day," these were the last words of CRPF Commandant Pramod Kumar after he unfurled the tricolour at the forces' base in Srinagar, minutes before he fell to militants' bullets in the Nowhatta area of the Jammu and Kashmir capital.
44-year-old Kumar, Commanding Officer of the 49th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force deployed in the Kashmir valley, hoisted the flag between 8:30-8:40 AM and made a speech saying with India clocking 70 years of its freedom, the responsibility on security forces has "increased" and they have to effectively tackle militants and incidents of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir.