IT Correspondent
New Delhi, July 27:
While 21st “Kargil Vijay Diwas” was celebrated, to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in 1999 Kargil war, a pathetic tale of a grievously wounded army man, running a small juice shop in Delhi’s village for survival, surfaced in media on Sunday.
Lans naik Satbir Singh (55) of the Rajputana Rifles-II, who was left disabled when Pakistan soldiers fired six bullets at him during the 1999 Kargil war, is forced to run a shop to support his four member family in North Delhi’s Mukhmelpur village. There is no bus stand, railway station near Mukhmelpur village, so there are hardly any customers. In the past many years he worked as a vegetable seller, farmer, electrician and at construction sites to earn a living.
He limps as one of the bullets still lies in the arch of his right leg. Due to a severe injury, he had to take voluntary retirement from his post. While families of others at that time, who were injured or martyred received either petrol pump licences or an acre of land for their livelihoods, Satbir, who was spending his days on the hospital bed, was unable to fill the forms which were a prerequisite. His children were very young at the time.
While the war went on for 85 days, Singh got his pension after protracted correspondence with government agencies. He claimed that he was promised a pension of Rs 40,332/month, but till 2000, he was given a pension of Rs 4,000/- per month. It was revised and he began receiving a pension of Rs. 23,000/per month since 2019. In the meanwhile he spent a sizable amount of money for nursing his wounded leg.
He was allotted one acre land by the then Central Government, on which he did extensive farming. However, it was reportedly snatched away from him in 2006 by some people with strong political connections. They not only deprived him of the land, but also threatened him and built a wall around the land to stop him for using it. Not only that but the petrol pump, as promised by the Government was also not given to him, Singh said.
The Kargil aggression which began on 3 May 1999 was concluded on 26 July 1999. On 12 June, 1999 India launched an attack on the Pakistan army. Singh’s unit consisted of 24 soldiers, out of which seven were killed and rest received grave injuries. This victory is considered to be a pivotal point for India which led the country to win the battle. Singh was admitted to the Army hospital on 14 June 1999 and was discharged on 23 May, 2000 because he could barely walk.
He was five years old when he used to participate in social movements raising slogans like ‘Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan’ and waiving Indian flags with other villagers. He was an ardent participant in school parades. Later, he became a part of the NCC (National Cadet Corps) cadre and received training for about two years. But due to financial instability, he left the school. Subsequently he worked for the Indian Home Guard and finally joined the Indian Army. He served as a soldier in Srinagar for eight and a half years, out of a total 14 years.
Speaking telephonically to IT, he said that the soldiers grievously wounded in war are a neglected lot since they cannot work. Their children also dot not get jobs easily and eventually they lead a pitiable life.
