CHENNAI, AUG 29: What does a person do when she is first told by the Army that her son is a deserter, then a month later the Army revokes its order and states that the son is missing in action and presumed dead? For the past eight years, Arokiya Mary has been trying to solve this puzzle. All she wants to know is whether her 26-year-old son Paul Raj Kumar is alive, missing or dead!It was in late 1990 that she saw her son, when he came to Chennai on leave. He left when his leave expired. He used to write letters and send money to his mother every month. Then for six months at a stretch, Mary did not hear from her son, so she wrote to the authorities. Though she did not receive any reply, Mary religiously kept writing till April this year when she received a letter from the authorities, following a legal notice from her lawyer. The letter said her son deserted the service in 1991.The next month, the 4 Maidani Regiment wrote to Mary telling her the earlier order of desertion had been cancelled and that afresh order for `missing and presumed dead' has been issued.The explanation came a month later. A June 5, 1999 communication to the mother said, ``Your son was initially declared absent without leave, since he was missing from an operational post. However, later it was realised that your son was actually missing in operational area due to hostile terrain and bad weather conditions. Accordingly, to redeem his valour and respect and that of his family, efforts were made to declare him missing and presumed dead. A court of inquiry along with statement of case was prepared and forwarded for competent authority's approval. The same was finally approved''.Finally, by a letter dated July 17, the mother was asked to send an FIR lodged with the local police and a certificate from them saying Paul Raj Kumar has not been traced in spite of all efforts made by them.Mary's counsel however, feels that there is something fishy in the whole affair. According to him, Paul Raj Kumar may have been officially orunofficially directed to intrude the other country. The chances of the intruders returning safe are remote. Hence the ruse adopted by the army.Meanwhile, the mother continues her desolate wait.
