Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 14

The kin of the martyrs, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland, have threatened to sell the gallantry awards and medals to register their protest against the apathetic attitude of the central and state governments towards their long-pending demands.

“We have been waiting for the government’s response to our genuine demands for years without any success. Now, we will go on a relay fast and sell the gallantry awards and medals to register our protest against the apathetic attitude of the governments,” Vijay Kumar, president of the Shahidon ki Awaz Kalyan Sangh, an organisation spearheading the agitation of the martyrs’ kin, said.

Since the majority of martyrs belong to Rewari, Mahendragarh, Charkhi Dadri and Jhajjar districts, the relay fast would be started from one of the these places, said sangh general secretary Raghubir Sharan.

Demanding a compensation of Rs1 crore each from the Centre and the state governments, Vijay Kumar demanded a quota for the kin of the martyrs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

More quota for the families of martyrs in educational institutions and jobs, jobs for the current generations of those who made the sacrifice in 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars and implementation of ‘one rank, one pension’ scheme.

Kumar set a deadline of November 1 for the authorities to accept their demands failing which they would be forced to launch an agitation.