M A I N   N E W S

Twice abandoned, J-K girl finds a saviour in Army
Shyam Sood

Rajouri, November 14
The Army has came to the rescue of an 11-year-old girl whose childhood has been scarred by double tragedy and extreme poverty. The Army has adopted the girl and decided to provide her books and uniforms besides and small daily expenditure. At present, the girl is a Class VII student of Government Girls High School at Budhal.

“After seeing the plight of Rekha, the Army has decided to bring smile on the face of this ill-fated child. With the help of school headmaster, tehsildar and village sarpanch it was decided to provide her financial help,” said a senior army officer.

60 RR (NAGA) based at Samote in Budhal has adopted Rekha Devi and decided that she would be provided financial help for her studies.

Tragedy befell Rekha, daughter of Madan Lal, when her mother Pulo Devi passed away when she was just seven months old. She was abandoned by her superstitious father as village elders believed that she had brought bad luck to the family.

Madan Lal, son of Chet Ram (71), is elder brother of Hindu militant Shyam Lal Sharma, a resident of Dhar (Rajnagar Budhal) in Rajouri district. After Madan Lal abandoned Rekha, Shyam Lal adopted her.

Chet Ram along with his two sons Madan Lal and Shyam Lal had migrated to Thnole village in Udhampur district in 2002.

Madan Lal started working as labourer to earn bread and butter for the family while Shyam Lal along with father, Rekha and other family members shifted to Narla Bambal village in Udhampur in search of better future.

Rekha was looked after by Shyam Lal for about a year. But soon Shyam Lal fell in the trap of the Pakistani militant commanders operating in the area and joined militancy.

Shyam Lal became the first Hindu militant from Rajouri district and had affiliation with Hizbul Mujahidin Pir Panjal Range (HMPPR) and Al-Badar outfits. After joining militancy, Shyam Lal found it hard to manage the responsibility of Rekha and handed her over to his aged father Chet Ram. Shyam Lal was trained in handling weapons and explosives by the terrorists. He was in touch with his father till 2005. During this period, several state and Central intelligence agencies were in touch with him, persuading him to give up militancy and join the mainstream.

After militancy was wiped out, Chet Ram returned to his Dhar village (Rajnagar). Presently, he is putting up in a rented mud house in the vicinity of Rajnagar town. Having only one mule to earn daily bread, Chet Ram was finding it difficult to ensure a secure future for Rekha Devi.

Chet Ram said after 2006, he got no information about Shyam Lal whether he died or crossed over to the PoK. “Some intelligence sources informed me that he had crossed over to PoK,” said Chet Ram. With her aged guardian and grandfather Chet Ram having no steady source of income and living in a rented mud house which has no electricity, water and road connectivity, the local army unit came to Rekha’s rescue. “I would like to become a teacher. But if I get an opportunity to join the Army I would like to serve my country,” said Rekha.

The Tragic tale

• Rekha Devi’s (pic) mother passed away when she was seven months old. Soon, she was abandoned by her superstitious father.
• Her father’s brother Shyam Lal took care of her for about a year. Then Lal joined militancy and Rekha was left in lurch again.
• Currently, she lives in a mud house with her grandfather, who has no steady source of income.
• Moved by her plight, 60 RR (NAGA) based at Samote in Budhal adopted Rekha and decided to provide financial help to her for studies.