Ganesan was killed because he had refused to accept the Naxal’s demand to stop work on a bridge across Bandia river near Etapalli town. He was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra, which was given to his wife Rathi, then 30, by then President APJ Abdul Kalam. Rathi, who had been married only for seven years, raised her then six-year-old daughter Ponshnega and eight-month-old son Ponnagarasan by herself. “He had never given me any idea about the threats he had received from Naxals, probably because he didn’t want us to worry. The family of three would like to visit Gadchiroli at some point in the future and see the bridge that Ganesan had built, braving threats from Naxals.

Source: Indian Express August 14, 2021 14:37 UTC