A request from Dr Kalia, father of late Lt Saurabh Kalia

Dear Fellow INDIAN ,

SPARE 5-MINUTES from ur busy schedule .PLEASE !!!

Lt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 JAT Regiment of the Indian Army laid down his life at the young age of 22 for the nation while guarding the frontiers at Kargil. His parents, indeed the Indian Army and nation itself, lost a dedicated, honest and brave son.
He was the first officer to detect and inform about Pakistani intrusion. Pakistan captured him and his patrol party of 5 brave men alive on May 15, 1999 from the Indian side of LOC. They were kept in captivity for three weeks and subjected to unprecedented brutal torture, evident from their bodies handed over by Pakistan Army on June 9, 1999.
The Pakistanis indulged in dastardly acts of inflicting burns on these Indian officers with cigarettes, piercing their ears with hot rods, removing their eyes before puncturing them and breaking most of the bones and teeth. They even chopped off various limbs and private organs of the Indian soldiers besides inflicting unimaginable physical and mental torture.
After 22 days of torture, the brave soldiers were ultimately shot dead. A detailed post-mortem report is with the Indian Army. Pakistan dared to humiliate India this way flouting all international norms. They proved the extent to which they can degrade humanity. However, the Indian soldiers did not break while undergoing all this unimaginable barbarism, which speaks volumes of their patriotism, grit, determination, tenacity and valour - something all of India should be proud of.
Sacrificing oneself for the nation is an honour every soldier would be proud of, but no parent, army or nation can accept what happened to these brave sons of India . I am afraid every parent may think twice to send their child in the armed forces if we all fall short of our duty in safeguarding the PRISONERS OF WAR AND LET THEM MEET THE FATE OF LT.SAURABH KALIA.
It may also send a demoralising signal to the army personnel fighting for the Nation that our POWs in Pak cannot be taken care of. It is a matter of shame and disgust that most of Indian Human Rights Organisations by and large, showed apathy in this matter.
Through this humble submission, may I appeal to all the civilized people irrespective of colour, caste, region, religion and political lineage to stir their conscience and rise to take this as a NATIONAL ISSUE !!!
International Human Rights Organizations must be approached to expose and
pressure Pakistan to identify, book and punish all those who perpetrated this heinous crime to our men in uniform.
If Pakistan is allowed to go unpunished in this case, we can only imagine
the consequences.
Below is the list of 5 other soldiers who preferred to die for the country rather than open their mouths in front of enemy -
1. Sep. Arjun Ram s/o Sh. Chokka Ram; Village & PO Gudi.
Teh. & Dist. Nagaur, (Rajasthan)
2. Sep. Bhanwar Lal Bagaria h/o Smt. Santosh Devi; Village Sivelara;
Teh.& Dist.Sikar (Rajasthan)
3. Sep. Bhikaram h/o Smt. Bhawri Devi; Village Patasar;
Teh. Pachpatva;Distt. Barmer (Rajasthan)
4. Sep. Moola Ram h/o Smt. Rameshwari Devi; Village Katori;
Teh. Jayal;Dist. Nagaur(Rajasthan)
5. Sep. Naresh Singh h/o Smt. Kalpana Devi; Village Chhoti Tallam;
Teh.Iglab; Dist.Aligarh (UP)
Yours truly,
Dr. N.K. Kalia (Lt. Saurabh Kalia's father).
Saurabh Nagar,
Palampur-176061
Himachal Pradesh
Tel: +91 (01894) 32065

Let us give a supporting hand to Dr. Kalia in his efforts to get justice.
Remember, Lt. Kalia and his colleagues died on the front so that we could
sleep peacefully in our homes.

Brave Sons of INDIA

Brave sons of India

“Brave soldiers of India” (Spectrum, Sept 13) has portrayed a true picture of the bravery of Indian soldiers. Over 1.4 million Indian soldiers fought for the British in World War I. Of these, 47,000 were killed and another 65,000 were wounded. In this war, Indian soldiers became known the world over for their valour and won 12 Victoria Crosses.

The first Victoria Cross was awarded on October 31, 1914, at Hollebeke in Belgium to an infantryman Sepoy Khudadad Khan of Battalion I, 129^th Duke of Cannaught’s own Baluchis. Thus, of the 17 Victoria Crosses awarded during World War I, 12 went to the Indian soldiers. Only one of these, Rifleman Gobar Singh Negi of Battalion II, 39^th Garhwal Rifles was awarded posthumously, other VC holders had fought on to inspire their fellow soldiers. At the end of the war, 2/3 Gorkha Rifles had two living VCs in the unit.

The Britishers were very tactful, tough and tenacious. They had not considered the Indian soldiers entitled for the Victoria Cross. The “Order of Merit” instituted in 1837 was the highest gallantry award for the Indian soldiers. It was only in 1911 that Indian soldiers became entitled to receive the VC.

The courage of millions of soldiers from the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Caribbean, who fought and died for the British in the two world wars, has been recognised now with the erection of memorial gates adjacent to the Buckingham Palace. Leading industrialists Gopichand Hinduja, Lakshmi Mittal and Avtar Lit were among influential Asians in Britain who were the driving force behind the setting up of these memorials.

Our politicians have no time for our martyrs. On Kargil Day many leaders had no time to grace the functions held to mark the occasion.

MULTAN SINGH PARIHAR, Jalari (Hamirpur)