Decorated officer left out, family upset

Chandigarh, December 11

Relatives of Lt Karamjeet Singh Judge, decorated with the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the Commonwealth, during the Burma Campaign, World War-II, are upset at his name being left out from the Military Literary Festival’s (MLF) programme.

The Punjab Government this year decided to honour units and kin of VC recepients from the Burma Campaign. Six venues at the festival site have been named after VC recipients.

Lt Judge’s nephew Capt Mohan Singh Judge, said his uncle was the first and only officer from Punjab to be decorated with the Victoria Cross and wondered why his name was left out.

Hailing from Kapurthala, Lt Judge was decorated posthumously in 1945 at age 21. Another officer awarded the VC, Lt Gen PS Bhagat, also traces his lineage to Punjab. But according to some officials, he was born in Gorakhpur, where his father was then serving with the provincial states. He later joined the Army. After retirement, he moved to Kolkata and never resided in Punjab.

Mandeep Singh Bajwa, a member of the festival’s organising committee, said, “Only VC recipients up to 1944 have been included this year to mark the 75th year of the war. Also, there are over a dozen VC recipients of the Burma Campaign from Punjab and since the number of venues is limited, everyone’s name cannot be included.”

Another official added that there was no bar on Lt Judge’s descendants from attending the event. — TNS