Hero's elusive bravery award

By K. Kannan

NEW DELHI, DEC. 31.

It is a tragic tale of heroism and misplaced identity that would dwarf even the best of Shakespeare. The plot unfolds in 1948 when a youthful soldier of the army dies in action during the Indo- Pakistan war.

Ami Lal's name is recommended for the award of Vir Chakra and his extra ordinary act of bravery is recorded in the Kumaon Regimental history at Ranikhet. His name is also recorded on the marble stone of Martyr's Memorial at Somnath Grounds, Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet, along with other Vir Chakra awardees.

The same year, another sepoy of the same regiment with a identical name is awarded the Vir Chakra on the basis of a gazette notification dated January 26, 1950. Nearly 38 years later, a shocking fact comes to light -- while the Vir Chakra was awarded to the brave jawan who died in the battlefield, the actual award and benefits accruing had gone to another living sepoy by the same name. Interestingly, this discovery is made 23 years after the second Ami Lal's death.

Is this real-life story a case of deliberate denial of justice or just mistaken identity? As enquiries go on and the family members of the martyr Ami Lal run from pillar to post, there is clinching evidence in terms of Army number of the valiant hero recorded in the marble stone of the martyr's memorial. ``While a video film of the same has been made, the number was subsequently changed to that of the second Ami Lal,'' says the hero's grandson, Head Constable Krishan Kumar, who works in the Delhi Police.

When the faux paus was detected in 1988, the widow of Ami Lal made representations to the then President who asked the Kumaon Regimental Centre to examine the case. She received a reply from the Commander of 4th Kumaon Regiment stating that late Ami Lal was not awarded Vir Chakra but only ``Mentioned in Despatch''.

``Mentioned in Despatch'' is an award for distinguishing and meritorious service in operational and acts of gallantry which are not of a sufficiently high order or warrant grant of gallantry award.

However, another letter was received by her from the 4th Kumaon Regiment subsequently in which it was mentioned that the earlier letter was wrong. In response to a legal notice drawing attention to the regimental history and memorial at Ranikhet, it was stated that ``with the passage of time the Army number of awardee appears to be incorrectly quoted at both these places''.

A communication received from the Kumaon Regimental Centre went to the extent of saying that the war memorial and regimental history are not authentic as these are likely to have typographic or clerical mistake. ``Only the gazette notification is authentic and the Vir Chakra has been awarded on this basis,'' it said.

Yet another documentary evidence in possession of Ami Lal (Army number 4128635) is the Pension Book received by his war widow in which it has been recorded that he has been recommended for the ``Victoria Cross'' which was later transferred to Vir Chakra and Param Vir Chakra. ``The pension book of the other Ami Lal does not have the Victoria Cross. There is no stamp indicating any award therein,'' Krishan Kumar rues.

Interestingly, Ami Lal's name was not even recorded in the list of martyrs in the municipal record book of his home-town, Rewari, though his widow claims to have a condolence letter written by the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru to her. ``It was only in August 2000 that his name was entered in the martyrs column after a letter was received from the Kumaon Regiment,'' the neglected hero's grandson says.

While the case still goes on and the Kumaon Regiment is not ready to budge from its position, family members of the widow of the neglected martyr continue to knock at the doors of the high and mighty. With records and history still not favouring them, the dispossessed hero's successors have no option but to suffer in silence.

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