Chaman Singh Tewatia
Naik Chaman Singh Tewatia was born in village Udaipur in Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh. After reorganisation of districts in UP, this village now falls under Hapur tahsil and district. Naik Chaman Singh became martyr in Kargil War on 12 June 1999. He was in Unit- 2 Rajputana Rifles, who were given the task of capturing Tololing Hill.
The Battle of Tololing
The Battle of Tololing was one of the pivotal battles in the Kargil War between India's armed forces and troops from the Northern Light Infantry who were aided by other Pakistan backed irregulars in 1999. The Tololing is a dominant position overlooking the Srinagar - Leh Highway (NH 1) and was a vital link. The Indian army's casualties on the Tololoing peak were half of the entire losses in the whole war.
The objective of Chaman Singh Tewatia's group was to capture a well-fortified enemy post located in a treacherous high altitude terrain at over 15000 feet. Major Vivek Gupta, 2 Rajputana Rifles, and his Company was given the task of recapturing Point 5490.
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The fate of martyr's family
The Telegraph Calcutta, August 12, 2004 writes the following story of Chaman Singh Tewatia's wife Shakuntala fighting with the state for getting due justice:
Lucknow, Aug. 11: Five years ago, Naik Chaman Singh died on the icy peak of Tololing fighting infiltrators. Today, in front of the chief minister’s residence in Lucknow, his entire family nearly joined him on the Kargil martyrs’ stand.
Shakuntala Devi poured kerosene on herself and her two boys, one 12 and the other seven, and tried to set herself afire — admitting defeat in the fight against the ubiquitous entity called the State.
“God, take me to my husband,” the 36-year-old Kargil widow screamed as she lit a matchstick and touched it to her dress at the gate of 5 Kalidas Marg. Women security guards posted at Mulayam Singh Yadav’s residence rushed to Shakuntala and overpowered her.
A portion of her salwar kameez had started burning but the fire was put out before it caused any damage.
She said later it had become “impossible to carry on a battle against vested interests to acquire land allotted to her and restart her life after the death of her husband”.
Chaman Singh, a jawan of the Rajputana Rifles, died on June 13, 1999.
Shakuntala was given some 25 bighas of land, but in five different spots far from her village, which she was trying to get the government to consolidate into a single plot closer home at Hapur in Meerut district. She had also been given a licence for a petrol pump, but could not acquire the land on which to put it up.
“My husband laid down his life like a hero. But when I go to government officers with my case, I am treated like dirt,” she said, breaking down.
Her story is similar to the plight of a character in a Bollywood film, Dhoop, played by Om Puri as the father of a Kargil martyr.
It was only after Shakuntala attempted to kill herself that the state government got moving. “I have been running from pillar to post in the land revenue department pleading with officials to get me an alternative plot in one place. Is that too much of a demand?” she asked.
Shakuntala went on to narrate how she had also failed to acquire the land for the petrol pump. “It took me two years to get the allotment of land in the Noida area. I went several times to the office of the Noida Development Authority. Rows of officers who sit there listen to my pleadings but nothing moves,” she said, sobbing.
Last year, Rajasthan University conducted a survey on 55 Kargil widows. In one case, a widow refused to take the offer of a petrol pump. Asked why, she said: “Everybody has become my enemy. If I take the petrol pump, somebody else will take it away from me.”
जीवन परिचय
उत्तर प्रदेश के गाजियाबाद जिले के थाना बाबूगढ़ का गाँव उदयपुर छोटा सा अवश्य है मगर 2 राजपुताना राइफल्स के नायक चमन सिंह तेवतिया की बहादुराना शहादत की वजह से गौरवान्वित है. इस गाँव के दलपत सिंह के वीर पुत्र नायक चमन सिंह तेवतिया कारगिल के तोलोलिंग पहाड़ी को मुक्त कराने के अभियान में बुरी तरह जख्मी हो गए, फ़िर भी हार नहीं मानी और दम तोड़ तोड़ते कई दुश्मनों को ढेर कर दिया. शहादत के १४ वर्ष पूर्व सेना में भरती चमन सिंह के साथ उनके अनन्य मित्र बुलन्दशहर जिले के प्रसिद्द फोजी गाँव सैदपुर के सुरेन्द्र सिंह भी सेना में भरती हुए थे. दोनों में से कोई भी छुट्टी आता तो जरुर एक दूसरे परिवार के हाल चाल पूछ कर जाता. दोस्ती के साथ दोनों ने राष्ट्र भक्ति भी एक साथ निभाई. आश्चर्य की बात है कि दोनों ने ही 3 जून 1999 को ही घर पर कुशलता के समाचार लिखे थे. दोनों ही श्रीलंका शान्ति सेना अभियान में भी साथ गए थे जिसमे चमन सिंह जख्मी हो गए थे.
चमन सिंह का परिवार पहले से ही देशभक्त फोजी परिवार है. आपके ताऊ बलवंत सिंह के पुत्र अमरपाल सिंह १९६२ के युद्ध में शहीद हो चुके हैं तथा दूसरे ताऊ लक्खी सिंह के पुत्र कृपाल सिंह २८ जून 1999 को अपनी फोजी ड्यूटी पर लौट चुके हैं.
नायक चमन सिंह तेवतिया २८ मई १९९९ को ही अपने परिवार से विदा लेकर जम्मू रवाना हुए थे. उनके परिवार में विधवा पत्नी शकुंतला देवी, ८ वर्षीय पुत्र कपिल और ५ वर्षीय पुत्र गौरव. एक हजार की आबादी वाले इस गाँव में अभी भी करीब २० परिवार सेना में हैं.
Gallery
Naik Chaman Singh Tewatia
Chaman Singh Tewatia
Chaman Singh Tewatia
Chaman Singh Tewatia Statue
Chaman Singh Tewatia Statue
सन्दर्भ
जाट समाज पत्रिका आगरा अक्टूबर १९९९, पेज ९९
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