Axe Effect: PC Praises, Gujjars Seek ‘Bharat Ratna’ for Rukhsana
Accolades continued to pour in for 20-year-old Rukhsana Kausar, who launched an axe attack on a dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, snatched his AK 47 rifle before pumping a dozen bullets into his body and killing him on the spot, inside her home in a remote Jammu village on Sunday.
The dead militant – later identified as LeT commander Abu Osama – had barged into Rukhsana’s home, with a band of armed men, in Rajouri, Jammu. She later said her move was triggered by fears of the militants hurting her parents.
Speaking to correspondents in New Delhi on Wednesday Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said: “I compliment her. She is a brave girl. More and more people should emulate her.”
He welcomed the move by the state government to provide her with security after the incident.
Meanwhile members of the Gujjar community elders in Jammu and Kashmir called for a ‘Bharat Ratna’ – the country’s top civilian honour – to be conferred upon the girl.
In a letter, the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, an organisation of nomadic tribes, has urged President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister Chidambaram to honour Rukhsana with the award.
Since the incident, the state government has provided Rukhsana with a Rs 5,000 reward and police protection.
