PVC decorated soldiers have made us secure, worth landing in Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal
DAYA SAGAR
Ravinder Raina BJP President UT of J&K has on 3rd August visited Param Vir Chakra (PVC) decorated Indian soldier Honorary Captain (retd) Bana Singh {In 1987, the strategically important Siachen area had been infiltrated by the Pakistani forces. The Pakistanis had captured an important position, which they called “Quaid post” (from Quaid-e-Azam, the title of Muhammad Ali Jinnah). The post was located at a height of 6500 metres on the highest peak in the Siachen Glacier area which was later renamed to “Bana Top” by the Indians, in honour of Bana Singh} and launched through him the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign from his house top in village Kadayal near the International Border in R S Pura Tehsil, Jammu district. We in J&K are today going to enter into the streams of “Azadi ka Amrit Kaal” but have we any time asked ourselves how far we have acknowledged on ground atleast the extraordinary sense of sacrifice and valour Indian soldiers have shown while protecting “US & our Lands” from the enemy attacks ( 1947,1962,1965,1971,1999) where 16 out of 21 Param Vir Chakra ( PVC) awarded so far have been to those soldiers who fought protecting boundaries along Indian state of J&K and 15 out of those can be named as those soldiers who were not J&K state subjects / permanent residents of J&K ?.
So, far the ‘subjects’ of J&K have not been courteous enough to open the gates for seeking land rights, seeking government job and seeking admissions in J&K government professional colleges for the families / kith& kin of even the ‘non permanent resident ‘ PVC decorated soldiers.
But with J&K BJP getting launched the Ghar Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan by PVC decorated Adharniye Bana Singh ji from his roof top and J&K government having decided to name schools/ roads after martyrs/eminent personalities some hopes have emerged.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha of J&K has initiated a number of programmes and activities worth promoting nationalism and commitment to common Indian cause, particularly making the young generation intimately aware about the martyrs & eminent personalities who had sacrificed their present & future for the cause of Indian people.
Surely it was for the similar cause that LG Manoj Sinha decided to name Schools /roads/buildings in the name of martyrs and eminent personalities . It was on July 29 of 2021 that Deputy Director (F&S) o/o Divisional Commissioner Jammu through letter No. 202/Divcom Misc/ P&S/ 1310-11 dated 29-07-2021 conveyed to Deputy Commissioners of Jammu Region that as per instructions received by higher authority he was directed to request them for kindly identifying schools that can be named after our martyrs ((police/army/CRPF ) and provide the list by 5th Aug 2021 (ofcourse that was to be done with the help of a committee to be constituted at local level) . Before that Rajasthan had also cleared a proposal to rename government schools after martyrs and Punjab government had also expressed that it will rename schools after freedom fighters/ renowned personalities. No doubt the process of renaming the schools has not been with in the schedule that the LG might have in his mind but still it is very much heartening that the process has started in 2022 which no other earlier government could conceive even when suggestions were made that in J&K projects / airports should be renamed / named atleast after PVC decorated Indian soldiers where it could be said that out of 21 PVC decorated soldiers atleast 16 PVC decorated soldiers are those who had displayed extraordinary valour / sense of sacrifice while fighting to protect the IB/LOC along J&K state ( 1947,1962,1965,1971,1999 ).Now in terms of J&K Administrative council decision NO 105/08/2022 of 22-08-2022 government has re named 18 Government Schools after martyrs and eminent persons vide order No 885-JK/GAD of 2022 dated 28-07-2022.
With Manoj Singh as LG ( since 07-08-2020) and A.K Mehta as Chief Secretary one can hope that some Colleges and some Major Projects in the UT of J&K would be named / renamed after the Param Vir Chakra Decorated Indian Soldiers and that would happen in the first year of the Azadi ka Amrit Kaal that begins in August 2022.
The eminent personalities / martyrs have already been top listed as PVC decorated and only projects/ sites/ colleges have to be selected for that. The decorated personalities for immediate reference could be PVC 1 Major Somnath Sharma (HP) posthumpo. 4 Kumaon November 3, 1947 Battle of Badgaon ;PVC2 Naik Jadunath Singhposthumous (UP) 1 Rajput February 6, 1948, Taindhara, Battle of Naushera;PVC3 . 2nd Lt Rama Raghoba Rane (Bombay) 08 April 1948 enroute Rajouri;PVC4 Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawa*posthumous ( Rajasthan) . Rajputana Rifles Tithwal ( Kupwara), J&K;PVC 5 Lance Naik Karam Singh 1 Sikh October 13, 1948 Tithwal sector ( Kupwara) , J&K; PVC 7 Major Dhan Singh Thapa (HP) , 1/8 Gorkha Rifleskh|October 20/ 21, 1962 Major Ladakh Indo China war; PVC 9 9. *posthumoiMajor Shaitan Singh ( Rajasthan) Kumaon Regiment November 18, 1962 Rezang La, Ladakh; PVC 10 10. Company Quartermaster posthumousHavildar Abdul Hamid (Gaziabad UP) 4 Grenadiers September 10, 1965 Battle of Asal UttarKhemkaran ( Punjab) tank battle ; PVC 11Ardeshir Tarapore Lt ColBIombay )posthumousPoona Horse 11 Sept 1965 Battle of ChawiPhillora, Sialkot, Pakistan; PVC 13 12. Flying Officer *posthumousNirmaljit Singh Sekhon ( Punjab ) No.18 “Flying Bullets” Squadron December 14, 1971 Srinagar ; PVC 14 Second Lt. *posthumousArun Khetarpal ( Pune only on 6 month service ) 16 Dec 1971 Battle of Basantar – Samba (Jarpal, Shakargarh ( Jammu Border) in Pakistan); PVC 15 Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya ( Haryana ) Grenadiers Regiment December 17, 1971 Battle of Basantar – Samba, Basantar River( Shakargarh, Pakistan); PVC 16 Naib Subedar Bana Singh (R S Pura Tehsil) Action 23 May 1987, J&K Light Infantry|Siachen|1987 Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Bana Singh, operation Rajiv; PVC 18 Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandeyposrhumous ( Lucknow): 1st battalion, 11 Gorkha Rifles 07-07-1999 Operation Vijay Khaluber /Juber Top ; PVC 19 Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav (UP) Battle of Tiger HILL Kargil Operation Vijay; PVC 20 Rifleman Sanjay Kumar. ( HP ) 13 J&K Rifles July 4 (5)) Ladakh’s Mushkoh Valley Kargil;PVC21Capt Vikram Batra*posthumous ( HP ) . J&K Rifles July 7, 1999.Oeration Vijay Kargil.
The honours could be some thing like naming Srinagar Airport after PVC Major Som Nath Sharma since but for what he did may be whole of Kashmir valley and Ladakh Region would have been in POJK of today . Similarly naming Jammu Airport after PVC L. Nk Jadu Nath Singh since but for his valour & sacrifice may be some more part of Jammu region beyond Sundarbani too would have been part of POJK of today.T he Government Degree Colleges , Engineering Colleges, Medical Colleges and long tunnels in and around preferably the district of ‘action/ sacrifice’ could be named after. Though belated and still too less to what we owe ‘them’ let still Manoj Sinha take the lead . which he can surely take.
(The Author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs dayasagr45@yahoo.com).