When Army cracked a cruel joke

8220;You are a lion8217;s mother. And I am a lion8217;s father,8221; a frail septuagenarian Yadav said. The last 48-hours took the family on a roller-coaster ride. 8220;We met him a fortnight ago in the Army base hospital in Delhi. We are not very well off and are also very old. We cannot go and meet him frequently. So when we read in newspapers that Grenadier Yogendra Yadav of Ghatak Platoon, 18 Grenadiers had been awarded a PVC posthumously we were very scared, thinking something may have happened to him in hospital,8221; Sitara Devi said.

8220;But there was also a Grenadier Yogendra Yadav of the Ghatak company, 18 Grenadiers, who had been killed the same night in the same operation. We know the other boy. He too is an Ahir from Pali in Meerut. So we thought he had been awarded the PVC. It was all very confusing and scary,8221; her husband added.

Hours after reading the newspapers and listening to the radio news, Yadav sent his cousin to the Army hospital in Delhi and waited near a public telephone for confirmation that his son was okay. 8220;I got a message saying that the army chief had come to the hospital and told my son that he had been awarded the PVC and posthumously8217; was an error. We were very glad,8221; he said. Yadav Sr participated both in the 1965 and 1971 wars and his son8217;s courage is a culmination of his dreams.

8220;Due to financial problems, I had to quit the Army and my son did my family proud,8221; he added. Sitting in the Delhi8217;s base hospital, the son, meanwhile, is enjoying the attention. His wife Reena feeds him and relatives fan him. Children of officers and other soldiers gape at him from a distance at the hospital 8212; he is their hero and obliges them with tales of Tiger Hill.

But another story is slowly unfolding in South Block where the inquiry is under way. 8220;Let me assure you the right man has got the PVC. Their names are same but their numbers, fathers8217; names and villages are different. The other Yadav died while climbing but the PVC winner reached the top and killed the enemies,8221; the army spokesman said today. 8220;The inquiry is still under way. But it will be quick and the outcome will be known soon,8221; he added.

Yadav said his namesake was as brave. 8220;There was mix-up in the platoon too. So our platoon commander used to call us by our numbers. My personal number is 2690572 and his was 2683671. So even during the operations, the commander would call us 71 and 72. I was number 72 and he was 71,8221; he said.

His wife Reena brought out burfis for all and Yogendra teased her, making a motion to lift his arm. She rushed and fed him a burfi. 8220;The bone has snapped in two. There is a rod inside. When it recovers I8217;ll go back to my unit,8221; he said. He is raring to go back to his platoon, now in Baramulla.

8220;I8217;m used to it. Before taking Tiger Hill we were in Manasbal. I know all about Improvised Explosive Devices IEDs and CI operations,8221; he added. Yadav, married for for a little over three months, gave credit for his success to his wife Reena. 8220;She brought me good luck,8221; he said.