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46 years on, families look for missing heroes through social media

It was 46 years ago that Jagdish Lal of 2-Mahar regiment went missing while fighting the Pakistani army at the Dhaka Theatre.

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Sepoy Jagdish Lal
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When the entire nation was busy celebrating the 46th Vijay Diwas to mark the victory of 1971 war, the mood at the home of Sepoy Jagdish Lal in Kathua was sombre.

It was 46 years ago that Jagdish Lal of 2-Mahar regiment went missing while fighting the Pakistani army at the Dhaka Theatre.

Sepoy Lal had chosen the battlefield despite pressing needs at home in the best traditions of the army. He had left behind two minor daughters and a five-month pregnant wife, Rano Devi.

Forty six years have passed; Sepoy Lal's family believes that he is languishing in a Pakistani jail after being taken as prisoner of war. Lal is among the six soldiers of Jammu division who went missing in 1971 and their families are not giving up the fight for their return .

Enter 2017; the families are now taking the battle to cyber space using social media to prod the government to bring back their dear ones from Pakistan. From Twitter battle to online petitions, the families are using social media to the hilt to force the government to act.

Leading the social media campaign for the missing war heroes is Bansi Lal Raja, the son-in-law of Sepoy Lal. "I have two Twitter accounts and I more than 2,000 followers. Whenever I tweet anything about the missing soldiers, it is instantly being retweeted. From 10 to 300 my tweets are retweeted. I request everyone but no one in the government is responding", said Raja.

Raja rues the apathy shown to the missing war heroes by the governments. "If you see my Twitter handle, you will find pictures of the leaders, who are now in power protesting along with us for justice", he said.

Subadar Assa Singh of 5-Sikh regiment of Jammu had gone missing while fighting gallantly against the Pakistani forces in 1971 war in the Chamb sector of Jammu region.

For the last 46 years, Subaidar Singh's 79 year old wife Nirmal Kaur has been fighting a quiet battle to bring her husband and other war heroes' home from Pakistan. She even went to Pakistan along with the family members of other missing soldiers but with no success.

"My mother is living with only hope that her husband will come home one day. We had high hopes from the government that they will bring back our dear ones. We are now posting our pleas on Twitter but there is no response", said Harcharan Singh, son of Subadar Assa Singh.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) White Knight Corps, Lt Gen Saranjit Singh, laid wreath at Ashwamedh Shaurya Sthal War Memorial at Nagrota to honour the valiant martyrs of Indian Army.

Speaking on the occasion, the GOC said Indian Army has always stood tall and met all the challenges faced by the nation in an exemplary manner, coming out victorious each and every time. He also exhorted the valiant troops of Indian Army to be "Ever Ready" to face any future challenges that the adversary may pose, with grit, determination and valour.

Battling on

The families are now taking the battle to cyber space using social media to prod the government to bring back their dear ones from Pakistan. From Twitter battle to online petitions, the families are using social media to the hilt to force the government to act.

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