North News
Shimla, July 26
Devi’s Tribute to Her Late Husband Faces Bureaucratic Roadblocks as the Government Denies Permission to Install His Statue in a Local School.
On Kargil Vijay Diwas, the promises of honoring martyrs seem hollow as Bina Devi, the wife of Kargil War martyr Sepoy Teg Singh Mastana, struggles to gain permission to install a statue of her husband in a school in the Balh area of Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Bina Devi funded the creation of the statue, spending nearly two lakh rupees, to honor her husband’s bravery and sacrifices. However, her requests to install it at the local Tawa school have been repeatedly denied by the government.
Sepoy Teg Singh Mastana was martyred on June 10, 1999, at the age of 32, during the Kargil War while bravely crossing a river under enemy fire. Though the administration installed a statue in Syahan on July 5, 2021, Bina Devi and her family rejected it, claiming it did not resemble her husband. Now, the statue sits in their home, a reminder of their ongoing struggle for recognition.
Adding to her challenges, Bina Devi, now 54, has four children—three daughters and a son—all of whom have struggled to secure employment despite their qualifications. The eldest daughter, Kusum Lata, is 32 and has completed her GNM. The second daughter, Kamlesh Kumari, is 30 with a BSc in Nursing, the third daughter, Neha Kumari, is 28 with a B Pharmacy degree, and the son, Vipin, is 26 and has done ITI Mechanical.
Commenting on the issue, Deputy Director of Higher Education Mandi, Sushil Kumar, said that no formal request has been received for the installation and bureaucratic formalities need to be completed before any action can be taken, the Hindi daily reported.
Bina Devi’s plight highlights the struggles faced by the families of those who gave their lives for the country, emphasizing the need for governmental support in honoring their sacrifices.
