HYDERABAD: With the aim of paying tributes to the brave-hearts of Pulwama and respect to Indian soldiers, four men completed the 'Bharat Yatra' traversing over 6,000 kilometres covering 12 states and 599 cities from Delhi to Hyderabad.
They were part of the 'I Stand For This Nation' initiative that sought to pay tribute to the slain soldiers of the deadly attack that took place on February 14 this year. The attack, a J-e-M orchestrated terror attack in South Kashmir's Pulwama district, had claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans.
Ratan Raju, a member of 'I Stand For This Nation' team, said, "We lost 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama attack. Soon after that, we started this initiative. Our main motto is that every Indian should salute the brave soldiers and they should stand with them."
Raju said that the attack occurred on February 14, 2019, at 3:15 pm and their main motto is that on February 14, 2020, at the same time every Indian should stand and salute our brave-hearts and say that 'We are with them'.
"As a part of this initiative, we started the 'Bharat Yatra' from Delhi to Kanyakumari. We covered 12 states and 599 cities across the country. Altogether we have travelled over 6,000 km day and night. Finally, we reached Hyderabad successfully, concluding the yatra," he added.
Former MLC and BJP Core Committee member Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy said that every citizen of this country should take part in this initiative in order to protect the peace and secularism.
"After the attack that was carried out in Pulwama on the CRPF personnel, a few youth organisations initiated 'I Stand For This Nation' programme," said Reddy.
"Four members of these organisations travelled across the country and reached Hyderabad. They successfully concluded the Yatra at Sanjeevaiah Park in Hyderabad," he added.
On February 14 this year, a CRPF convoy, consisting of around 2,500 personnel, was attacked by a suicide bomber who rammed a car laden with explosives into one of the buses on Jammu-Srinagar highway in which nearly 40 jawans lost their lives.