The following is a news article that focuses on the poor treatment of our freedom fighters, published by the Press Trust of India:

Freedom fighter lives life of neglect and penury

Ruby Nanda
New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI)

She is a freedom fighter who is fighting another battle — the battle for survival.

Laxmi Panda of Orissa’s Koraput district, who joined the Indian National Army in Burma and fought against the British, is caught in abject poverty and had to work as a maid servant, a shop attendant and a daily labourer.

Panda (84) was here last week to air her grievances before President Pratibha Patil who assured her all possible support from the government.

The freedom fighter has been abandoned by her son and also by the government. She has been running from pillar to post for her freedom fighter pension.

The state government recognises Laxmi as a freedom fighter and gives a paltry pension of Rs 1,000. But the Centre has denied Panda, who fought alongside stalwarts like Captain Laxmi Sehgal, the status of freedom fighter just because she was not arrested by the British.

“Had she been arrested by the British and got a police record, she could have got a pension of Rs 15,000 per month, enough to sustain herself,” says Anil Dhir, a researcher on INA.

Till recently, the octogenarian was sharing a hut with her “drunkard” son who threw her out, leaving her homeless. Once Panda had decided to end her life by immolating herself wrapped in the national flag.

But a positive response by the President, Prime Minister’s Office and Congress president Sonia Gandhi has enthused the frail lady to live on, said Dhir, who is instrumental in tracking her down.

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Disgusting, shameful, disgraceful and shocking. It is often said that India’s youth is not as patriotic as a few generations ago. But who is to blame: the youth itself, or the government that neglects those who put their lives on the line for the country?

Yours Ludicrously

Aarushi Talwar

These maybe the reactions from your friends and relatives when you jobless TV addicts were sitting in front of the screens thinking you knew the Aarushi murder case better than the CBI and were the next recruitment of Scotland Yard because your version of the story was the most convincing.

What is disappointing, is not the fact that you, a common man, were making your assumptions. But what is frustrating is the very fact that you became a part of it.You are not at fault because you just demanded for your daily doze of news on the day of the murder and the following days of investigation. But the way the Television and print media cooks the news and makes it digestible for the public is the most disgusting thing one can think of. For them, it is their way to be sold.

But is it just about being sold ? The whole purpose of media is to sell? Do they forget the have moral responsibilities? The whole case became a freakin’ joke! It was all about TRP all this while. An IPL Match played by Kings Eleven Punjab is believed to have lesser TRP ratings the day this sensation was on TV (Economic Times, 2008). Why do these people forget that it was one family among thousands and thousands in our country which lost one of its young members? Why did it become just delivering the best recipe for the same dish all the while?

And this led to rumours, pressures, and varying opinions all around. Experts/lawyers from all around the country were “the thing” on news channels making their analysis for hours and hours as to how the whole murder took place and how such a fool-proof planning was executed. Where were the parents of our children? Why didn’t anyone come up and say “to hell with your recreations, let the poor soul rest in peace!”. Why was the only thing that was stopping them from speaking and making judgements – commercial breaks?

It went on as a joke till the very end. No one being convinced by CBI’s story and making sure they were heard before the case was in the court. And eventually the investigation teams ended up making it a mess.

If this is freedom of expression, we don’t need it! Please don’t give this in the hands of people who don’t know how to use it.

The pictures I saw on  a news channel of the recent bomb blasts in  Bangalore and Ahmedabad terrified me.Law enforcement agencies in India are incompetent and corrupt to the lowest level.Terrorists escape scott free,plan another attack and the whole blame game starts again.

It saddens me that such lackadaisical,incompetent and corrupt people have been entrusted with the job of securing the country and making it a safe place for the citizens to live in.A radical and quick change is needed.The people responsible for these cowardly acts need to be treated with nary a mercy.An eye for an eye will get the criminals blind….