| |
CARE TODAY: LEST WE FORGET
Two More In The Fold
The wounds that war causes are not easy to heal. CARE
TODAY, set up after the Kargil war, adopted 28 soldiers grievously wounded
in Kargil and other operations in Siachen, Kashmir and Manipur under its
Lest We Forget programme. These men were provided around Rs 3 lakh each
in the form of assets to meet their rehabiliation needs. The society has
now adopted two more brave hearts.
HAVILDAR SWARAN SINGH,
13 Mech Inf (18 Rajput)
 Swaran
Singh lay bleeding, both his legs blown off by an improvised explosive
device planted by militants at Anantnag in Kashmir. As Singh was being
evacuated, he told the commander of his 13 Mechanised Infantry (18 Rajput)
that he wanted to return to action to fight the terrorists.
After that fateful incident on May 19, 1999,
the 37-year-old havildar has been undergoing treatment at the Artificial
Limb Centre, Pune. He has a blind father, mother, wife and three children
to support. He says it would be ideal if he could start a shop in his
village, Naya Diwana, in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
EX-RIFLEMAN DEVENDRA SINGH,
14 Garhwal Rifles
 A
battalion of 14 Garhwal was patrolling the Line of Control in Naoshera
sector of Kashmir in June 1999 when a landmine exploded. Rifleman Devendra
Singh, 26, an intelligent, hardworking soldier, was severely injured.
He was evacuated by helicopter to Udhampur where his left leg was amputated
below the knee. He was later sent to the Artificial Limb Centre, Pune,
and fitted with a prosthesis.
Having sustained a permanent disability, Singh
was boarded out of the army in May last year. Life has become very difficult
for him ever since. He lives in Motha village in Chamoli Garhwal in Uttaranchal,
which is a difficult 5 km, mostly uphill, from the nearest motorable road.
Besides his wife and a one-year-old daughter, his ageing parents too are
dependent on him. Singh was not given the benefits extended to other Kargil
war casualties because his injuries were sustained in a different sector.
His most pressing need is a house in an area that is more easily accessible.
|
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives