Punjab police praised for sending mortal remains of Nagaland constable in time

Aman Sood

Patiala, June 12

The Nagaland Police have appreciated their Punjab counterparts for the efforts and quick response in sending a deceased Nagaland constable’s body back to his hometown in few hours and timely release of the ex-gratia amount. The constable had died hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally duty in Punjab last month.

Constable Yangtsase Sangtam (39), 13 Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) India Reserve (IR) Battalion, was part of the companies deputed for law and order duty during polls.

“Deputed in Malerkotla district, his battalion was sent to Patiala in wake of the PM’s rally on May 23. Late night after the rally duty, he along with other policemen were camping at Bakhshiwala Government School where he fell from the rooftop,” recalls Mohammed Sarfaraz Alam. “Despite being on duty due to the farmers’ agitation and the PM visit, our DSP and SHO rushed to the hospital, where the constable succumbed to his head injury,” says Alam.

“We will never forget what Punjab Police did for our constable after he died during poll duty. Despite the VIP movements and the law and order situation in wake of PM’s visit and farmer agitation, they ensured shifting of our constable’s remains to his village within hours in a cargo plane,” CO of Nagaland IRB James Khingken told The Tribune.

Talking to The Tribune, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said that within minutes after the death, he deputed a team to arrange for a cargo plane to fly back the mortal remains of the constable with full honours to his hometown.

“Despite back to back VIP movement due to the polls, our team managed to book a flight and also got the ex-gratia compensation released from Malerkotla, where his battalion was originally stationed,” he said. “He was one of our own, sadly we had to send him back in a coffin. We tried our best to save him and did our best to ensure timely compensation for his family,” he said.

In a statement, the Nagaland Police said: “The mortal remains of Constable Yangtsase Sangtam were flown to Nagaland with magnanimous and quick assistance from the ECI and Punjab Police and laid to rest with full honours befitting a policeman who laid down his life in the line of duty. The promptness and complete professionalism by the Patiala police in shifting the body of the constable in a cargo plane back to his village in Nagaland has won hearts in Nagaland”.