Billu Ram will be richer by Rs 5,000 in a day or two. Incidentally, Billu Ram earned this ‘prize money’ by default. The cheque, which he is entitled to receive from the State Government, is in the name of his wife Sunita Devi. Brave mother of four children was injured during 19-hour-long ‘encounter with terror’ in Chinore on August 27 and is still undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Ironically, the district authorities in Jammu, after labouring hard for about one month have finally claimed to have identified and verified credentials of victims of ‘terror attack’ in Chinore and will start distributing compensation cheques in a day or two.
Official sources claimed that they are still not ready. It is not clear why credentials of hostages and others shifted to the hospital by the State authorities were needed to be verified at the first place.
This is the ‘prize money’ Indian nation is paying to its citizens who are joining the fight and ‘fighting unarmed’ against terrorism with a firm resolve. It also reflects on the state of affairs in a State which has grown insensitive to such terror attacks and authorities here do not mind taking such things in stride but hesitates when it comes to applying balm on the wounds of the victims of terror.
Strangely, when State Government will start distributing compensation in full media glare, Billu Ram will not be there to pocket this heavy amount.
Broken and filled with feeling of helplessness he left Jammu on Friday afternoon along with his wife and few close relatives in search of better treatment outside Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu. He hired a private vehicle to shift the patient. As he left Jammu, the compensation cheques were still not ready or signed by the higher authorities, a month after the chilling encounter exposed chinks in security apparatus leading to death of nine people and three militants.
The final assessment of damages caused to the house of Billu Ram, which presented a ‘ghost look’ was still not ready. The shaky administration was preparing estimates to carry our repair works. Security experts label it as sheer callousness on the part of Government authorities.
“I am not going to beg the State Government to renovate my house. But I just want to ask one question, my house was taken over by the security forces to eliminate militants and save my family. During the gunfight both sides fired endless rounds, grenades were lobbed and now they are offering me a paltry sum of Rs 5000 in lieu of damages”, he said.
My children have refused to enter the house since then. They are terrified as images of militants inside their rooms haunt them. They are scared and do not have a look.
Source; dailypioneer
Indian Rupee Converter
