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Journalism of Courage
CHANDIGARH, July 26: At the "fag end" of his life, Subedar Roshan Lal is dejected. Almost 55 years after World War II ended, the war veteran is still awaiting the release of four medals awarded to him for active service in the Middle-East.
As a member of the 18th Brigade of the Persia-Iraq Force, Sub Roshan Lal, now 79 years old and settled in the City, was stationed at various locations in Persia throughout the war, where he served as supervisor in a motor ambulance unit.
Tasked with controlling and supervising the operation of ambulances in the war zone for evacuation, Roshan Lal had been awarded the 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, and later, the India Independence Medal. He had served with the Royal Indian Army Service Corps from September 16, 1939 to December 1, 1947, when he was discharged from the Army due to reduction of troop strength after Partition.
His discharge certificate mentions all the four medals awarded to him. He has since been approaching the Army Service Corps (ASC) Records Office in Bangalore for the release of his medals, which had not been presented to him on account of administrative problems and chaos prevalent during the days of Partition and his discharge from the Army, also due to some communication gap.
He was again enrolled in the Indian Army and served from August 18, 1948 to May 24, 1951, when his newly-raised unit (a Rajputana Rifles battalion) was among the formations which were disbanded due to a resource crunch.
It was only in September 1992 that he finally received a response from the Records Office, informing him that his medals are being claimed from the DMR&F, New Delhi, along with an advice to "restrict reminders". He had by that time written about 50 letters to the Records Office.
Another response from the Records Office to his reminder stated that the claim for the medals had been forwarded to the DMR&F in 1992 and they will be despatched to him by the office, when received.
However, Roshan Lal’s correspondence with the Directorate General Supply and Transport (S&T), Army Headquarters, in March this year, revealed that the demand for medals had not been forwarded by the Records Office till March 1994.
Roshan Lal had also written to former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral about the issue.
His reminders to the S&T Directorate in April and to the Records Office in June this year got him no further, with the same response and advice being reiterated. He has again written to the Records Office this month, requesting them to pursue the case.
"These medals may not have any monetary value, but to a soldier, they are a treasure of sentiments, memories, and nostalgia of the service days spent in a faraway land," Subedar Roshan Lal says.
