Pulwama attack: BCCI to donate Rs 5 crore to families of martyred CRPF jawans?

Board of Control for Cricket in India's acting president Vinod Khanna has appealed to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to sanction at least Rs 5 crore to the families of the soldiers who were martyred in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14.

Khanna wrote a letter to the CoA, office bearers and state units where he condemned the dastardly act while proposing that the BCCI contribute at least Rs 5 crore to the families of the martyrs through appropriate channels.

"We are saddened and join our fellow Indian citizens in condemning the dastardly Pulwama Terror attack. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyred soldiers," Khanna wrote in the letter. "I request the Committee of Administrators that BCCI should contribute at least Rs 5 crore through the appropriate government agencies to the families of the martyred soldiers."

Khanna also wanted the state associations and IPL franchises to make contributions towards the cause. "I am also going to request the state associations and the respective Indian Premier League franchise owners to consider making contributions."

He also wants two minutes of silence to be observed during the India vs Australia series and the opening matches of the IPL franchises as a mark of solidarity towards the martyred soldiers. "As a mark of respect to the Central Reserve Force personnel martyred in the terror attack, we should observe a two-minute silence during the first match of the India vs Australia series starting February 24, and during the opening ceremony/inaugural match of the Indian Premier League starting March 23," he wrote.

The dastardly terror attack took place on February 14 around 3:15 PM in the Lethpora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway. At least 40 CRPF jawans succumbed to the suicide bombing mission carried out by Pakistan terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). Adil Ahmad Dar, a 22-year-old, rammed an SUV containing 350 kilograms of explosives into a CRPF convoy causing the tragic death of Indian soldiers.

There has been a unanimous condemnation of this attack and the cricketing community is trying its bit to help out. Virender Sehwag had taken to Twitter to announce that the education of the children of the martyrs will be taken care of by his school – the 'Sehwag International School' – if they so wish.

Winners of the Ranji Trophy, Vidarbha has announced that they will donate the entire prize money they received by winning the Irani Cup for the welfare of the families of the martyrs. Meanwhile, Cricket Club of India (CCI) has covered the portrait of Pakistan PM Imran Khan which they had in the Brabourne Stadium. They are also urging the BCCI to take a stand and not play against Pakistan in the upcoming cricket World Cup.