Shernagar:
Two frail women, a martyr's wife and his mother, called off their four-day-long hunger strike today after Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, paid them a visit in their small Shernagar village. The two women were protesting against the mutilation of the body of Army jawan Lance Naik Hemraj Singh, killed by Pakistani troops last week, and had refused to eat or drink till his severed head was brought back.
They gave up their fast after the Chief Minister visited their modest home late on Monday afternoon and offered the women juice, promising monetary and other support from the government. Before Mr Yadav, BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh visited Shernagar. They demanded that the central government take a tough stand against Pakistan. Mrs Swaraj said, "The incident that has happened...we should take revenge. Today, the country is demanding that we should not be proved a weak government...If we don't get this (Lance Naik Hemraj Singh's) head, we should get ten of theirs (Pakistan army's)."
The Indian Army has said Pakistani troops crossed over into Indian territory in January 8, ambushed Indian jawans, killing two, and mutilated the bodies, beheading Hemraj Singh's body. It raised the brutal mutilation of its soldiers' bodies with the Pakistani Army during a 35-minute flag meeting at the Line of Control in Kashmir today. "Indian Army lodged a strong protest against the heinous mutilation of our deceased soldiers bodies, pointing out that it was against the tenets of the Geneva Convention as also in contravention to all established norms of soldierly behaviour.
"It was conveyed to the Pakistan delegation that such a dastardly and cowardly act is totally unacceptable and is a premeditated attempt to undermine the ceasefire agreement of 2003, which can lead to further escalation," the Indian side said at the meeting.
At a press conference in the capital, Army Chief General Bikram Singh said, "I am the head of the clan and I am like a father. We will make sure they are given all possible help. We will give them all that is due and everything they are entitled to." He said the Indian government was working diplomatic channels to seek the return of Hemraj's severed head.
Lance Naik Hemraj Singh and his buddy, Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were killed in Mendhar, in Jammu. Both served in the 13 Rajputana Rifles regiment, were in their early 30s and leave behind very young children.
The 32-year-old Hemraj Singh's body was brought back to his village and cremated on Thursday last. The stream of political visits to the small village near Mathura, 160 km from the national capital began only on Sunday when the local MP Jayant Choudhury arrived and unsuccessfully tried to persuade the two women to end their fast.
Akhilesh Yadav today said, as he announced that his government would give them Rs 20 lakh in monetary support and five lakhs from the Kisan Bima fund, that money could not compensate for their loss, but it was his government's duty to help the old parents and family of the Army man. Hemraj Singh's brother, Narendra, later announced that the two women had ended their fast with juice.
After Mr Yadav, junior Defence Minister Jitendra Singh of the Congress too reached the small village and announced Rs 46 lakh compensation to the jawan's family.
In Delhi, Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said the BJP should not politicize the issue. "BJP by repeatedly saying that India is a soft state encourages Pakistan. India had never been, is or will be a soft state. Playing politics over this issue is unfortunate," he said.