Decades on, war widows still battling

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27

Six months after her husband Lance Naik Jang Singh was killed in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Sukhdev Kaur of Bagrian village in Sangrur district, gave birth to Jang Singh’s son. She named him Manjit Singh, as was suggested by her husband. But she lost him in a road accident when he was eight. Sukhdev Kaur now lives with her elder daughter.

When 18-year-old Bant Kaur married sepoy Piara Singh of Duladi village, near Nabha, in 1964, he promised to build a pucca house after returning home from duty next year. But the soldier never returned. He died in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1965 war. Beant Kaur is now 69 years old. And she still lives in two-room dilapidated house in a corner of the village.

Baljinder Kaur of Chamba Kalan village in Tarn Taran district rues that she has never seen her father. When sepoy Balwinder Singh attained martyrdom in 1971, Baljinder was just two-and-a-half months old.

Dozens of war widows and members of around 161 families of martyrs, who began their indefinite protest in front of Chief Minister’s official residence here today, have almost similar tales to narrate.

For the past four to five decades, the compensation, be it in the form of land, cash or jobs to the kin, is eluding them. Worse, the state government’s apathy has made the war widows to stage second such protest in Chandigarh within a span of 45 days.

“We had a meeting with the Chief Minister on August 11. We were told that that all our demands will be met in a month. But we waited for 45 days. We know that nothing will happen if we keep sitting at home,” said Bant Kaur’s son Gursewak Singh.

Baljinder Kaur said: “The government has crores of rupees to spend on events such as World Kabaddi Cup. We wonder why they have no money to compensate war widows and the families whose members have sacrificed their lives for the country.”

Col Kuldip Singh Grewal (retd), president, State Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association (SEWA), who was accompanying the protesters, said: “As their files remained stuck in government offices for years due to various reasons, around 161 families of martyrs have yet to receive compensation.”

KBS Sidhu, Financial Commissioner (Revenue), said, “Around 130 families have approached the state government after 1976-77, which was fixed as a cut-off year to avail the compensation. But the government has agreed in-principle to award compensation to all affected families and we are working on it.”