Army killings: Govt's approach to their families casual

Bangalore, Aug 12: The government's casual approach to the series of army jawan killings has come to the fore yet again when news of a BSF soldier's village boycotting the polls floods news portals.

The residents of Agraharabachahalli in Mandya district of Karnataka staged protests against indifference of the government toward the death of a 35-year old BSF soldier (on duty lines) who drowned a month ago in the Surma river in Mizoram. Sources said that apart from the customary national flag and Rs 23,000, his wife is yet to receive any assurance for her family from the government.

"I havn't received any help from the state government either. A senior BSF officer came to the village and collected details about my family for deciding the amount of compensation but there has been no word after that", cries Mamata, the widow of J Jayaramegowda. Although she was offered a job with the Anganwadi by the local MLA, there was no certainty.

Earlier, in the first week of August, Pushpa Devi, wife of slain jawan Vijay Kumar Rai, refused a 10 lakh compensation from the Bihar Government, demanding strict action against Pakistan, which has been violating the ceasefire time and again.

The life of jawans and army officers and their families, it seems, depends on the whims and fancies of the Government. While compensation fails to reach some of them, there are others who are being shut up with 'compensations', which has become more of a price tag for the lives of slain jawans, rather than a hand of support for their families.

Thanks to the controversial remarks of JD(U) Rural Development Minister Bhim Singh and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh in Bihar, that we got to know the government's opinion on its martyrs. The duo had opined that policemen and soldiers are recruited to make sacrifices for the nation.

While we have begun preparing for the 67th year of Indian Independence, we expect Indian politics to be more sensitive and not treat the martyrs as just another cut in their pie of controversies.