15 get annual Principal Bagga Sewa Awards

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, June 3

Tributes were paid to former MLA principal Om Prakash Bagga, a socialist thinker, who was shot dead by terrorists. His son, Civil Surgeon (retd) Dr Ajay Bagga, gave away annual principal Bagga Sewa Awards to 15 officers and personnel of the Health Department at the local Shiv Puri (crematorium), for their support in the last rites of persons died of Covid, during the award ceremony held at the city’s cremation ground on the Hariana road.

Each award recipient was given a memento and a kit to protect against Covid and a cash prize of Rs 2,000 each. Every year, these awards are given during national-level seminars that were organised in the memory of principal Bagga. But from this year onwards, a new beginning was made by Dr Ajay agga by organising the event at the cremation ground.

Dr Bagga said during the global epidemic of Covid-19, in some areas of the country, in the cremation of corona-infected deceased, their family members did not cooperate but the government personnel showed humanism by playing a leading role in performing the last rites of the deceased. In the Health Department, the SMO of Mahilpur, Dr Sunil Ahir, was awarded, He lit the pyre of a corona deceased after his family refused to perform it and even did not turn up at cremation ground.

Along with him Dr Harkesh, Phumman, Mukesh, Davinder Pal of Posi Block, Harjeet Singh Dhami, Aakash and Vishu of Hoshiarpur were honoured with the Award. Shivpuri Hoshiarpur’s Master Vijay Kumar, Pandit Darshan Lal Kaka, Sukhwinder Singh, Vijay Kumar, Sukhdev Kumar, Davinder Atwal and Harbans Lal were also conferred with the award.

Dr Bagga said, “In the Corona-19 epidemic, even family members not cooperating for funeral of their loved ones which depicts that the relations are losing their value but in this tough time, by assisting in the rites of the deceased, these workers have introduced real humanity and set an example”.

On June 2, 1984, 53-year-old former MLA principal Om Prakash Bagga was killed by terrorists when he was returning from school.