Trapped in line of fire
By Kamlesh Mohan

THE tragic images of sobbing widows, broken hearted mothers, bewildered children and stoic fathers enter the public-consciousness through the electronic media and the Press. Every warring nation, while raising memorials to dead warriors, tends to show in- sensitivity to distraught widows who have to manage their life, including pregnancies, wailing infants or small children, single-handedly. The four major wars in independent India — 1948, 1962, 1965 and 1971 — left a number of war widows in their wake. The number of ‘war-widows’ swelled into thousands when the IPKF fought a undeclared war in Sri Lanka and young soldiers lost their lives in various counter-insurgency operations.

The story of unfulfilled promises and broken pledges, recalled by the awardees of Vir Chakras and Param Vir Chakras and by the widows of the posthumously honoured martyrs raises doubts about the commitment of the politicians to the soldiers welfare. It has focused national attention on the issue of the rehabilitation of the families, especially the widows of the armed forces’ personnel.

For the long-term rehabilitation of war widows, we ought to look beyond their immediate needs -- accommodation, employment, medical and educational expenses for them and the members of their family. For a majority of people, it is difficult to empathise with their immeasurable mental tension and anguish over the dreary prospect of a lonely existence in the years to come.

The issue of rehabilitation is being tackled by Central and state governments as well as by voluntary agencies. The huge contributions made to the Prime Minister’s fund point to the fact that the people appreciate the soldiers’ sacrifices and are concerned about the welfare of the dependents of martyrs and wounded soldiers. The official announcements of liberal ex-gratia grants for the soldiers’ families is also a hopeful sign. A social organisation, Rashtriya Swabhiman (New Delhi), is the only voluntary agency to provide immediate monetary relief of Rs 1 lakh each to 34 war widows so far.

The Army Wives’ Welfare Association (AWWA), headed by Ranjana Malik (wife of the present Army Chief Gen V.P. Malik), has at last begun to focus upon the hiatus between official announcements of liberal grants and their actual disbursement. Ranjana Malik has pointed out that the promises of providing kiosks, tea stalls etc to ex-servicemen and their widows made by state governments are not fulfilled for years. Her view has been corroborated by Maj Gen P. Dutt of the Adjutant General Branch (for Army welfare) who has cited the example of gas agencies. According to him, "The Petroleum Ministry has not yet given us the 5 per cent allocation". The Army officers as well as the public are also sceptical about the proper utilisation of donations for Kargil heroes.

The evaluation of the current schemes of grants, pensions and hostel accommodation for the widows of the military personnel has not touched on the problems of the majority of soldiers and lower-rung officials who belong to the agricultural castes, especially small peasant-proprietors in the villages of Himachal, Haryana and Punjab. The educated war widows in urban areas, owing to the high socio-economic status of their parent’s or husband’s family, can pursue their applications for grants, pensions or sanction of gas agencies, more effectively than their illiterate and less privileged counterparts in remote villages. For example, war veterans and widows of martyrs in the Indo-Pak conflict of 1971, living in the villages of Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) have failed to get promised benefits even after three decades. No wonder they are critical of successive Central and state governments for their callous behaviour towards the defence personnel.

Meena Devi (46) the widow of Havildar Ramesh Chand (awarded Vir Chakra posthumously) lamented that the state government had not entered the mutation of land in her name in the official revenue records. Ironically, she was made to pay penalty for chopping a dry tree on her own land. Vidya Devi, the widow of another Vir Chakra winner, Brij Lal, has been trying unsuccessfully to get water facility in her village Aled (Hamirpur district). War veterans like Lekh Raj of Dhamani village are also sore with the unhelpful attitude of political leaders and bureaucrats.

The emotional and social rehabilitation of war widows has become a serious problem owing to societal norms that deny companionship to women. Our social blindness and orthodoxy is reflected in the rules regarding pension, which is reduced to half after the remarriage of a widow. It is argued that she is no longer dependent upon pension alone. Is not economic independence essential for leading a dignified life? In fact, it may enable young war widows to break cruel social barriers. Operation Vijay must be followed by a social revolution because military victories alone do not make a nation truly great.