War hero Albert Ekka's 'sacred earth' handed over to family

Chief Minister Raghubar Das today handed over the urn carrying the 'sacred earth' brought from the place of burial of 1971 war martyr Albert Ekka to his family at Jari village in Gumla district, an official release said.
Das called on the martyr's wife Balamdina at her residence, paid tributes at the soldier's statue before addressing the Martyr Festival at the village organised on the 45th martyrdom of Ekka.
Recalling the soldier's gallant fight against Pakistani troops in the war of 1971, Das said the state would always stand by martyrs and former soldiers.
Ekka, who was posthumously awarded Param Vir Chakra, the country's highest military decoration, was buried at Dulki village near Agartala.

Das said the urn would be under the safe custody of the Gumla district deputy commissioner and a martyr memorial would be constructed after a 10-member team headed by a tribal leader, Ratan Tirkey, would visit and return from the burial place near Agartala on December 27.
An Army representative had on November 30 handed over the urn to Das after the state initiated to bring it after Ekka's wife Balamdina requested it for adoration.

"We even met Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann of Aam Aadmi Party.
He asked us to write our problem and took our representation but his PA said that since his party is not in power he can't do anything. Later he also stopped picking up our phones.

"He goes to Bhagat Singh's place but he failed to help the family members of martyr Udham Singh," Singh remarked Singh claimed to have met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal five times, whenever he comes to pay tribute to martyr Udham Singh on his martyrdom day at their village.
He also claims to have met Yoga Guru Ramdev, a prominent proponent of nationalism, but even his recommendation letter to the Punjab Chief Minister did not yield results.
"We have been sitting on dharna for the past four days in this biting cold. We are ready to sacrifice our life and continue with our dharna till we get a job. We have written to the PM, Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Today also we have given a memorandum to him, but we have not got any reply, let us see what action will they take," he said.

Singh said his father was working with the Electricity Board but he could not continue due to his ill health, so he was dismissed from the service.
"We have given representation even to President Pranab Mukherjee, who had written to the Punjab Chief Minister to give us a job but the Punjab government did not pay heed to it," he claimed.
"We don't have land, though there was some but we had to sell it to meet our finances. We are not begging from the government to give us money, we are just asking for a job, which is our right and not wrong demand," he said.