Written by
Mir Ehsan | Updated: February 25, 2017 4:37 am
Soldiers carry the body of Lance Naik Ghulam Mohiuddin Rather, who was killed in an attack on an Army convoy at Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Express Photo
The Army chief paid tributes to Lance Naik Ghulam Mohiuddin Rather, Sepoy Vikas Singh Gurjar and Sapper Sreejith M J, who were killed in the ambush Thursday.
Rather was buried in his ancestral village, Mirhama, in south Kashmir with full military honours. Rather is survived by his wife and a three-year-old son. Hundreds of people attended his funeral.
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http://indianexpress.com/article/in...nied-relief-by-armed-forces-tribunal-4542483/
PROVIDING RESPITE to the widow of a deceased disabled soldier, the Supreme Court has overturned an order of the Jaipur Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) which had denied disability pension to a soldier, who died in the course of litigation. Gunner Laxman Ram Poonia was enrolled in the Army in 2005 and became invalid in 2009 with schizophrenia. The military medical board declared his disability as “neither attributable to, nor aggravated by military service”, thereby denying him any kind of pension or disability pension. His petition for disability pension was also dismissed by the AFT.
The SC, however, ruled that when a person joins the armed forces in a fit condition, then any deterioration of his health is presumed to be related to his service conditions unless a note is made that the disability was such which could not have been detected at the time of joining the Army.
The SC has also directed the grant of pension to the late soldier’s wife. Even earlier, many decisions of the Army and AFT, denying similar benefits to disabled veterans, were set aside by high courts as well as the apex court. Non-grant of disability pension has long been a sore point for disabled soldiers. Despite multiple favourable decisions by the SC in recent times, pension continues to be refused to such soldiers with verdicts in favour of disabled soldiers being challenged by the defence ministry.
Sources said appeals in such cases were continuing despite a committee of experts, constituted by the defence minister, coming down heavily on the Army and the Ministry of Defence for causing agony to disabled soldiers. The committee had called such actions contemptuous and recommended withdrawal of all appeals filed by the government against disabled soldiers and gracefully conceding such cases covered by the SC and HC verdicts. Recommendations similar to the expert committee were also made by the 7th Pay Commission, later accepted by the Centre.
Sources added that despite recommendations of the expert committee, the Pay Commission and directions of the defence minister and number of verdicts of the HCs and SC, government lawyers have not yet conceded such cases. On the contrary, they continue to press appeals, opposing benefits to disabled soldiers. Even the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare has not issued instructions to withdraw the appeals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ses-not-met/story-PjpNVhazMc65sHgGxJWbEI.html
Machhil martyr Mandeep Singh’s mother Nirmala.(HT Photo)
It took 86 days for the Haryana government to disburse ex-gratia payment to the family of Machhil braveheart Mandeep Singh, whose
body was mutilated by terrorists near the Line of Control.
A cheque of Rs 50 lakh was given to the family on Saturday afternoon only after the family members recently met chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and threatened to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
But other promises made by the CM are yet to be fulfilled.
“The chief minister had announced to give an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh and a government job to my younger son Sandeep. Apart from that he had also promised to construct a memorial on the funeral ground where my son was cremated. But most of the promises are not fulfilled”, martyr Mandeep’s mother Nirmala told Hindustan Times.
Khattar had visited the family and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh to Singh’s kin and promised a government job to a family member.
They also claimed that the CM had also promised a promotion for Mandeep’s wife Prerna, who is a constable with the Haryana police.
“Even when we met the chief minister four days ago at his residence in Chandigarh, he assured the demands will be fulfilled, but he refused to accept the demand for Prerna’s promotion,” she said.
She said the chief minister made it clear that the government won’t be able to promote Prerna.
“The CM told us that he alone cannot take the decision (of her promotion) and he needs to discuss the matter with his cabinet colleagues,” Nirmala quoted Khattar as saying.
“But the government should think about the future of this girl who lost everything at the age of 26,” she added.
Mortal remains of army jawan Mandeep Singh were consigned to flames at his native village Antehri of Kurukshetra district. (HT Photo)
As they have failed to get any immediate assurances from the chief minister, Mandeep’s younger brother Sandeep has reached Delhi to meet the Prime Minister. “We are going to meet the Prime Minister in Delhi and will return only after meeting him”, Sandeep told HT over phone.
“The government should also think about my sister-in-law. If they can promote a medal winner to the post of DSP, why can’t a widow of martyr get a promotion”, he asked.
In October last year, the 26-year-old Sepoy Mandeep Singh of the 17th Sikh regiment was martyred in a gun-fight with militants along LoC in Machill sector of Kashmir. Militants mutilated his body.
On October 30, when his mutilated body reached his native village, thousands of people, including chief minister, Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Sumedha Kataria and other officials of the district administration
reached the village to console the family and assured all the support.
Haryana chief secretary DS Dhesi, however, denied there was any delay on the part of the state government in disbursing the ex-gratia payment.
“The martyr certificate which is an essential document for release of financial assistance was received from the Army authorities on February 5 and the compensation has been released soon after,” he said.
Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Sumedha Kataria said the cheque of Rs 50 lakh was issued on Saturday and it will soon reach the family.
On the other demands of the bereaved family, she said steps were being initiated to fulfill them, including the construction of the memorial.
BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Rajkumar Saini demanded of the government to fulfill its promises made to the martyr’s family.
