The family of eight security personnel who died in the 2001 Parliament attack, on Saturday took back the gallantry medals which they had returned in 2006 to protest the delay in execution of Afzal Guru.
The kin of those who lost their lives in the attack received the medals from President Pranab Mukherjee. The families had decided to take the medals back after Afzal was hanged last month. Shweta Singh, the daughter of slain CRPF constable Kamlesh Kumari, said: “I was here for my mother and I am grateful to the President that he rejected the mercy plea of Guru. It has honoured my mother’s martyrdom.”
late Delhi Police constable Vijender Singh’s widow, Jayawati said: “I wanted nothing else from the Government other than sentencing the perpetrators of the attack. It is a huge relief that the martyrdom of my husband has got its due.”
MS Bitta, the chairman of Anti-Terrorist Front, who accompanied the families to Rashtrapati Bhavan, too said he was grateful to the President for giving back the medals.
Bitta also urged the President to clear all pending death sentence cases, especially of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassins.
In a memorandum given by Bitta to the President, the former has requested for release of the cash award, which was earlier announced for the security personnel, who had fought the terrorists at the time of the attack on Parliament.
The families of CRPF constable Kamlesh, CPWD Watch and Ward personnel MS Negi and Parliament Security personnel JP Yadav had returned the Ashok Chakras, as did the kin of five police personnel who returned the Kirti Chakras. Those who had received the Kirti Chakra were Delhi Police sub inspectors Ghanshyam and Nanak Chand, assistant sub inspector Ram Pal and head constables Om Prakash and Vijender Singh.