Hours before attack, slain CRPF trooper asked wife to give medication to father

Chennai, Feb 15 (IANS) Hours before he was killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, 28-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper G. Subramanian had asked his wife to provide medication for his father's eyes.

"On Thursday, he spoke to his wife Krishnaveni on phone. He told her he was proceeding to Srinagar. He also told her to apply medicine on my eyes as I had undergone an eye surgery," V. Ganapathi, Subramanian's father told IANS.

"Sometime after his call, we tried calling him on his mobile phone, but there was no answer," said Ganapathi, a farmer in Sabalaperi village in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu.

According to him, Subramanian always wanted to join the army.

"I wanted him to join the Tamil Nadu Police. He went for CRPF recruitment and was selected," Ganapathi added.

Subramanian was with the CRPF for the past five years. He served in Uttar Pradesh for two years and two years in Srinagar and one year in Tamil Nadu during the training period.

"Once while in Srinagar, he was injured in a stone pelting incident. A couple of stitches were required to close the wound. He didn't tell us about the injury. Only when he came here on vacation, we came to know about it," Ganapathi said.

Subramanian was interested in sports and used to play football, kabaddi and cricket.

"Even when he had come here on a month's vacation this time, he played in a kabaddi tournament and also won a prize in a cycling event," Ganapathi remarked.

"About one-and-a-half years ago, Subramanian married Krishnaveni, a B.Com graduate. If the government provides her some job in line with her qualifications, it will be of great help," Ganapathi said.