A silent protest along with a public meeting was held in Ludhiana's Bharat Nagar Chowk to mark the 60th martyrdom anniversary of 1965 Indo-Pak war hero and Maha Vir Chakra awardee Major Bhupinder Singh, Friday. A Public Action Committee (PAC), along with ex-servicemen association, senior citizens, bar association, farm unions, students and other social organisations, are demanding that Ludhiana district administration should immediately restore the memorial of the war hero at the city's heart - Bharat Nagar Chowk. Major Bhupinder Singh's statue and a captured Pakistani army tank once proudly stood at the city's busiest roundabout. However, it was later relocated to an insignificant location near Rose Garden. The PAC members said that even after years, the memorial has not been restored to its original location and "lies dumped" near Rose Garden where hardly anyone sees it. Also, the roundabout has now been allotted to the private bicycle manufacturing doyen - Hero Cycles- for maintenance which has installed its own insignia and a huge cycle replica for its own promotion, said PAC. The PAC has given the deadline of Diwali (October 20) to the administration for restoration of the memorial, "else bigger Punjab-wide action would follow", they said in a statement. In a symbolic gesture, PAC members Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Gurpreet Singh Plaha brought soil from the fields of the martyr’s native village Harnampura and mixed it with the soil of the roundabout. A flex bearing the image of Major Bhupinder Singh and the tank was also installed at the Chowk as a mark of protest. PAC further said that a contempt notice has already been served to Hero Cycles Ltd., the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and Ludhiana Municipal Corporation for “illegal alterations” at the chowk. “If the administration fails to act by Diwali, we will give a call to the entire Punjab for a bigger gathering. The Punjab government, which seems bent on sidelining the heroes of Punjab, must not be allowed to erase the memory of our martyrs and our heritage,” said Jaskirat Singh, PAC member. Brigadier Inder Mohan Singh (Retd), President of the Indian Ex-Services League, added: “This is a very genuine and rightful demand and I will write to the Western Command to communicate to the Chief Minister directly and ensure this is done in the most respectful manner for our martyr.” Major Bhupinder Singh, a native of Harnampura village of Ludhiana district, was given Param Vir Chakra posthumously, for his exemplary leadership and gallantry in the tank battles of Phillora and Sodreke during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. During the battle of Phillora and Sodreke between September 11 and 19, 1965, Major Bhupinder Singh skillfully led his squadron to destroy numerous Pakistani tanks and other enemy equipment. His tank was hit several times, but he remained in command. However, on September 19, 1965, his tank was fatally hit by Pakistani missiles and he succumbed to burn injuries on October 3, 1965.
