Ex-servicemen an angry, hurt lot

Ludhiana: Ex-servicemen - especially the ones who had participated in the 1971 war - have been irked by the failure of the Punjab government in commemorating Vijay Divas. These bravehearts were of the opinion that instead of 'Sadbhavna rallies', a celebration of Vijay Divas would have better instilled the feeling of secularism and nationalism.
Ludhiana had made a leading contribution in the 1971 war, and soldiers from Ludhiana alone had won 17 gallantry awards."The only Paramvir Chakra ever won by Air Force in the history of India was also won posthumously by Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon from Ludhiana," informed Colonel HS Kahlon, who himself won the Mahavir Chakra in this historical war. He said the government was busy in political rallies, and it had forgotten Vijay Divas. This, he said, was a reflection of the attitude the government and the administration had for its soldiers.
"There are numerous claims that the government and the local administration makes in the name of fighting drug menace in the state. However, they forget to commemorate Vijay Divas, which can really instill the feeling of nationalism and patriotism in the younger generation, taking them away from the clutches of drugs and crime. This clearly exposes the state government's fake endeavours in fighting the drug menace, which are nothing but an eyewash," added Kahlon.
President, Ex-servicemen Welfare Society, Colonel Raj Inder Singh Sohi, who had also participated in the 1971 war, said many soldiers had laid down their lives for the country. "They are not among us to see what is being done to commemorate their contribution, but their families and the denizens of the state are seeing what is being done for the martyrs and the people who say 'Nation First'. This is going to decide the future of our youth, and thus the future of the country," added Sohi.
Retired Colonel BS Sandhu - who said he was proud of the fact that he participated in the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars in different capacities - expressed his anguish on how the government has treated the sacrifice of soldiers in Punjab, the state that had won the maximum number of gallantry awards in the wars to defend the country, and also lead the nation in the 1971 war against Pakistan, which is recorded in the annals of the history as India's greatest victory on the battlefield.
There are over three lakh ex-servicemen in Ludhiana alone.
CITY'S ROLL OF HONOUR
Gallantry awards: 17 (for 1971).
Paramvir Chakra: 1 (Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon).
Mahavir Chakra: 3 (Retired Major General Kler, Subedar Malkit Singh, and Brigadier ML Vig).
Vir Chakra: 13 (Flight Lieutenant Gurdev Singh Rai, Colonel HS Kahlon, Major-General Atma Singh, Brigadier SS Ahluwalia, Wing Commander Dinesh Chande Nayyar, Lieutenant Colonel MS Butter, Brigadier BS Gill, Naib Risaldar Basta Singh, Hawaldar Gurdev Singh, Major General RK Suri, Risaladar Kartar Singh, Sepoy Sarwan Singh, Lieutenant-Colonel Kartyar Singh)
A RED-LETTER DAY
Vijay Diwas (Victory Day) is commemorated every December 16 in India, marking the military victory over Pakistan in 1971. The end of the war also resulted in the unilateral and unconditional surrender of the Pakistan army, and subsequent secession of East Pakistan to form a new country, Bangladesh. On December 16, 1971, chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, had surrendered to the allied forces, consisting of Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini of Bangladesh.