Wife and family members of CoBRA commando Rakeshwar Manhas celebrate after hearing the news of his release, in Jammu on Thursday. PTI

Jammu, April 8

Days of anxious silence gave way to relief and celebration at the house of CoBRA commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas here as the news of his release from Maoist captivity broke on Thursday.

Family members and relatives of the commando were moved to tears as they saw visuals of him stepping out of an ambulance on a news channel.

Soon neighbours joined the family in its celebrations, and cheers and chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” filled the air. Everyone who visited Manhas’ house was greeted with sweets and smiles.https://0f061510f0aad7f0ab786626fe3a0a4f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“This is the happiest moment of my life. I always remained hopeful of his return and want to thank the central and Chhattisgarh governments and everybody else who stood by us during the testing time,” Manhas’ wife Meenu said.

The commando’s five-year-old daughter Raghvi was seen kissing his picture on a mobile phone. “I had prayed for my father’s release,” she said. — PTI