Widow struggles for justice 35 yrs after son’s martyrdom
For over three decades, 80-year-old widow Bimla Devi has been struggling to claim sustenance after the martyrdom of her only son, Sunil Kumar Ladohia, who died while serving in the BSF during anti-terrorist operations in Punjab on August 27, 1989.
Bimla Devi recalled the loss of Sunil, who was killed in action while stationed at Khemkaran in Amritsar. “I could not even see my son one last time,” she said, her voice trembling. “We received nothing but a few of his belongings. His body had already been cremated by the BSF authorities and all we got were his ashes.”
Although some relatives rushed to Amritsar to collect the body, they were met with the shock of Sunil’s remains already being cremated. The family was then forced to take the ashes directly to Haridwar for immersion in the Ganges.
The BSF, however, handed over a mere Rs 25,000 in compensation along with the ashes. The family was left in a state of disbelief and grief, with Bimla’s husband, Bihari Lal Ladohia, unable to cope with the pain of not seeing their son before his cremation. He succumbed to the trauma in early 1990, mere months after Sunil’s death.
