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Kerala grants state honours to flood rescue hero Rajesh R, who died saving stranded farmer
Rajesh R, a swimming and disaster rescue instructor, drowned after providing his life jacket to an old farmer he was rescuing.
The Kerala government on Wednesday accorded state honours to Rajesh R, a swimming and disaster rescue instructor who drowned while rescuing a man during the recent floods in Cherupuzha in Kannur district.
Chief minister V D Satheesan visited Rajesh’s family at their home in Kalliyoor, Thiruvananthapuram, and offered his condolences.
He later told reporters after the cabinet meeting that the government would fund the completion of Rajesh’s under-construction house.
On August 1, Rajesh and his associates, Shibin and Jithin, volunteered for a rescue mission after learning that S Benny (61), a farmer, was stranded on his farmland between a river and dense forests along the Kerala-Karnataka border in Meenthully near Cherupuzha.
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While escorting Benny to safety through the river, Rajesh handed over his own life jacket after noticing that the farmer was struggling against the strong current.
Although Benny, Jithin and Shibin managed to reach safety using a rescue rope, Rajesh was swept away by the swollen river. His body was recovered from an islet on August 4.
The CM described Rajesh’s death as “truly heartbreaking.”
“His ultimate sacrifice and selfless love for humanity will forever be remembered,” he said.
