The family members of Chamel Singh, an Indian prisoner tortured-to-death inside Pakistan’s Kot lakhpat jail on January 15, 2013 are pinning their hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accord ‘matrys’ status to Chamel.
In absence of any help from the State or Central Government, the two elder sons of Chamel have been working as daily-wage labourers with private contractors to earn their livelihood.Dara Singh, elder son of Chamel told The Pioneer, “If Modi had acknowledged sacrifice of my father in his election meetings, now after becoming the Prime Minister he should deliver justice to my mother”.
Still fighting the lonely battle Dara said, “We have suffered a lot in last one year, but no one came forward to help us from the State or the Centre”.He said, “I along with my younger brother Deepak Singh are working as labourers in Nagpur for last five months and have recently returned home to address some family problem.”He said, “We even highlighted our plight before the President of India last year, but still we haven’t received justice. Now we are pinning our hopes on Modi to deliver justice”.
Singh said like Sarabjeet Singh his father should also be bestowed with the title of ‘martyr’ and the children should be provided with Government jobs.
Addressing a historic ‘lalkaar’ rally in Jammu on December 1, 2013, Modi had raised the issue of ‘merciless’ beating of Indian prisoners Chamel and Sarabjeet Singh inside Pakistani jails, while questioning the muted response of the UPA Government.
Speaking at a rally, attended by over 80,000 people, Modi had trained his guns on media for ignoring the plight of Chamel’s kin and highlighting only the struggle of Sarabjeet’s family.
After the torturous murder of Sarabjeet, the UPA Govern-ment and SAD-BJP Government in Punjab had adequately compensated his kin, provided jobs to his daughters besides bestowing him the title of ‘martyr’.Ironically, despite running from pillar to post and raising voice at all possible forums, the low profile family of the deceased Chamel failed to get justice.
Instead of applying ‘healing touch’, the UPA Government and the Omar Abdullh-led alliance Government in the State had turned ‘nelsons eye’ and failed to even provide adequate compensation to the widow of Chamel and his four sons.
Dara said after his father went missing in December 2008, he had to leave studies midway and earn livelihood for family.On May 24, 2013 Omar Abdullah had stated that his Government was in touch with the Centre to decide the issue of compensation to the kin of Chamel, but nothing concrete has happened yet.BJP Rajya Sabha member and State prabhari Avinash Rai Khanna had earlier demanded compensation to the tune of Rs1.25 crore for the kin of Chamel in May 2013.
“Compensation of Rs1 crore should be given by the Jammu & Kashmir Government, while Rs25 lakh should be given by the Centre,” Khanna had said while handing over a cheque of Rs3 lakh to Kamlesh Devi, widow of Chamel. The money was donated by the BJP members.
Khanna had also written to President Pranab Mukherjee, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on the matter but in vain.