She is 67 years old and frail. All she said at the beginning and end of our meeting was: “I’m hoping to see my son one last time before I die,” with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Sexagenarian R. Anusuya of Rajakilpakkam in East Tambaram, is on a quest to find her son, Indian Army jawan R. Sankara Subramanian, who went missing on September 19, 1991 from the Military Hospital in Roorkee, while posted as a clerk. “He was 24 then. My husband and I ran from pillar to post and sent innumerable petitions to various defence departments for many years, but the only reply we got was that his service in the army had been terminated,” said the mother.
The demise of Anusuya’s husband Ramaiah, in 2001, brought the efforts to locate Subramanian to a halt. “I’m living by the one hope that I will meet my son one day. So I set out once again to meet defence officials and this time city police officials too, for help,” added Anusuya, who contacted the office of the Commissioner of Police. Her petition has now been directed to the Selaiyur police.
The last time Anusuya saw Subramanian was when he bid her adieu on the evening of September 4, 1991 before leaving for Roorkee to begin duty after a two-month break. On September 16, the family received a telegram from the army stating that Subramanian was missing from duty and another message later said he had been terminated from service.
“They just told us he went out of the camp on September 16 and didn’t return. When he came home on leave earlier, he told me that his commander had sent him for psychological treatment following a confrontation with him over granting him the leave,” said the missing jawan’s younger brother Mahadevan.
Mahadevan said the Army doctor who had treated his brother had offered to give him a certificate stating he was unfit for service, but Subramanian declined it as he wanted to continue to serve. “So it is difficult to believe that he left service and hasn’t contacted us even once in over 20 years,” he said.
Anusuya recently sent petitions to the Chief Minister’s Cell and also approached the Ex-servicemen Helpline Centre, only to be turned away by authorities. But despite all the obstacles she faces, she continues to live in hope.
via The Hindu Newspaper http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3718653.ece
No comments:
Post a Comment