The Lost Fighters
While the whole city was celebrating valentine's day,42 CRPF jawans were martyred in a militant attack in Pulwama,Kashmir..We pay our silent respect to them in behalf of Bhromor.
On such a day some boys and girls appeared in front of an old woman's house in Deganga.Their purpose was to help Lakshmi Devi.But who is this Lakshmi Devi??she is the wife of an Azad Hind Fauj fighter.His family spent days by eating half led.There is a small backyard.where a mud oven is situated.87 years old Lakshmirani Shil put fan rice in an alluminium pot there .. Deprivation is her companion..This Lakshmi Devi's husband Krishna Mohan Shil was an army of Azad Hind Fauj.The man who was jailed has also been shot again.. However,due to legal complications,the freedom fighter was not recognised.Krishna Mohan Babu is not alive today.However his wife Lakshmi Devi is also living in extreme financial hardship with the memory of her husband..She is deprived of govt benefits even though she has voter card and Adhar card. In her words,"As the wife of a freedom fighter,pension is a thing of past ,not even a small old age allowance and widow allowance.."she felt sorrow and said that,if Netaji had been the first Prime minister of Independent India ,they might not have seen this day.
Lakshmi Devi was cooking in the yard on the morning of valentine's day by wearing a torn shari.her hair was cluttered...she had so many wrinkels on her forehead due to the age and deprivation.she had a very old house which is fully covered with old bricks and polythene paper ..her daughter is Sudharani,who is 42 years old and unmarried girl..she is working on others house and earn very little amount.. Shankar Mohan is her son..who is 47 years old.He is a labour.he is the only hope to them.he is also unmarried with the responsibility of his old mother and unmarried sister.In his words,"If I get married who will see my mother and sister?"
Shankar Mohan narrated the story of his father - Krishna Mohan Babu's original house was on Dallah 55 Bazar Road in Rangoon, Burma at that time. He was shot after joining the Azad Hind Fauj. He also worked in jail. He survived a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He came to this country from Rangoon in 1974 and took refuge there. First in a palm leaf canopy, then in fence house. He came here and married Lakshmidevi of Madhyamgram. Also get Indian citizenship. He wrote a letter to the concerned place to get the pension of the freedom fighter. No results. He died in 1989 due to illness. But Didn't get any help.
Do you have any documentation? After hearing the question from the reporter, Laxmidevi opened a tin box. He took out some documents. One of them mentions the Azad Hind Fauj in a certificate obtained from Burma in 1984. The central government had informed Krishnamohan Babu in a letter that he had spent less than six months in jail. So he is not coming in the category of freedom fighter pension. That letter is also kept.
Lakshmidevi said her husband had a gold tooth. He also sold the tooth for the last time. No one even looked back at them.
"Bhromror" was present today to help their family. On behalf of the Bhramars, their families were given a monthly ration.
I don't know why it was so hard. Maybe their words have not reached the right place yet.
However, they have full confidence that this grief may go away. Try to let others know as much as possible.
- We will try our best to stand by them. You do too.
The main purpose is to highlight them. So that even if we can't do it later, more people can come forward and help them.
