APATHY OF ADMINISTRATION TOWARDS AGONY OF A 95 YEAR OLD BORN FIGHTER
The 95 year old fighter of Khokhran village in Punjab, India has suddenly found a new
identity. From being the old caretaker of the Gurdwara, Bachan Singh has become the
much revered World War II veteran – a gunner in the Royal Indian Artillery. Leaving
behind a six decade long trail of adversities, a life of extreme penury and hardships after
being discharged from the Army on medical grounds, Bachan Singh still wants to pick
up his gun and serve his motherland India.
Age has started telling on his memory. He vaguely remembers the year he joined the
Army. “I joined when freedom fighter Udham Singh had shot dead Michael O’Dwyer at
Caxton Hall in London”, says Bachan, trying to remember. As an athletic village youth,
Bachan Singh got enrolled in the army during a recruitment rally in neighboring Raipur
di Kothi, near present day Chamkaur Sahib. All Bachan remembers now is the tough
fight he gave to the Nazi’s somewhere in Burma, getting admitted to a hospital and
savoring the scenic beauty of Egypt while being in hospital there.
Records say that Bachan got enrolled as a gunner with 2nd Royal Indian Artillery in 1941
and served with 2nd field artillery in Libya during World War II. He got injured in north
Africa, when a German shell fell on the vehicle he was moving in and was treated in a
military hospital in Cairo. Despite physical disability (he lost function of his right hand) ,
the British army continued to take his services till India attained freedom in 1947. In
November, 1947, he was discharged from the army on medical grounds and with a
disability pension of Rupees 15 per month. A different fate awaited Bachan at his
village. This war veteran returned home to penury. After two years, in 1949, the pension
was abruptly discontinued by the controller of de fence accounts on the grounds that his
disability has gone below 20 percent. This despite the fact that a duly constituted
medical board by the army had confirmed a dis ability of 30 percent. “For a week I had
nothing to eat. Then I went to the village Gurdwara, requesting help. There I was offered
to perform duties of a Gurwara (gurwara, a religious place for prayers by Sikhs in almost
every village) Pathi (head of gurdwara). In lieu my family was given meals thrice a day”,
he told with moistened eyes.
For years together Bachan performed this duty and brought up a family comprising his
wife Chhoto and two daughters. He repeatedly wrote leters, requesting that his case for
pension benefits be re considered. All pleas fell on deaf ears. With the passage of time,
his family’s economic condition became grimmer. In 1982, the floods washed away
whatever was left. His house, clothes, utensils and his valorous photos, all washed
away. He lost his sole mate Chhoto 30 years ago. His son in law Bhajan Singh has
been fighting a battle for his pension.
With the help of an ex service man of the village, whose father, too, was a world war II
veteran, the family met Major Navdeep Singh, an advocate serving the Punjab and
Haryana High Court. Navdeep took up the mater with the Vice Chief of Army Staff,
General Pattabhiraman, then GOC in C, western command. Bachan’s case was taken
up for re consideration. A thorough medical examination of this 90 year old soldier was
carried out in 2005 at Command Hospital. The board opined that the disability could not
have improved in any manner, and that it had remained static all these years since
1949.
Finally, his disability pension, with arrears was sanctioned with effect from 1949. On
April 20, Bachan got a leter announcing payment of arrears from the controlled of
defence accounts. But Bachan is still waiting. His revised pension payment order for his
arrears with effect from 1949 was sent by the Principal controller of defence accounts
(pension) Allahabad, to the defence pension disbursing officer, Ropar. But the DPDO
says that it was to be sent to Punjab and Sind Bank, Behrampur Bet, directly by the
PCDA and not to the DPDO.
Now the DPDO would be forwarding it to the bank. So even after grant of his dues, he
has to deal with this degree of red tapism. Despite having witnessed so many up
heavels in life, Bachan still wishes to become a soldier in his next life to serve his
country. “If I am born a soldier again, I will crush down the enemy”, says Bachan, with
his Africa star, Burma star and Defence of India medal tinkling against one another in
his hands.
-DR. NAVRAJ SINGH SANDHU, www.navraj@gmail.com
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