Ropar: Ex-gunner Bachan Singh, recipient of Africa Star, Burma Star and Defence of India Medal during the World War II, who fought a long battle for his dues and received his pension arrears of about 60 years in April this year, died on Wednesday early morning in Khokhran village.
He is survived by two daughters. Bachan Singh got enrolled as gunner with the 2nd Royal Indian Artillery in 1941 and served with Second Field Artillery in Libya during the World War II.
He got injured in North Africa by a German shell and was treated in a Military Hospital in Cairo. After this, he was medically boarded out in 1947. He was granted disability pension which was abruptly discontinued by the Controller of Defence Accounts in 1949, stating that his disability had gone below 20 per cent. This happened despite the fact that a constituted medical board by the Army had confirmed a disability of 30 per cent.
Bachan Singh with his medals
His pleas for a resurvey medical board fell on deaf ears. However, with the help of then vice-chief of the Army staff, Lt-Gen S Pattabhiraman, his case was taken up with the government for re-consideration.
A medical examination of this 95-year-old soldier was carried out in 2005 at Command Hospital, Western Command, and the board opined that the disability was such which could not have improved in any manner and that it had remained constant all these years since 1949. This resulted in his disability pension being sanctioned with arrears from 1949, a historical landmark. The battle did not end there.
The bank which was to release his arrears made him and his relatives visit branch numerous times but kept delaying his payment on flimsy grounds. It took some tough talk by representatives of the Army, who visited bank branch earlier this year to get his arrears disbursed.
Cremated with state honours
Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Punjab government and the Directorate of the Sainik Welfare by Colonel Tajinder Singh. Wreaths were also laid on behalf of Western Command by an Army representative. Condolences were offered by president, Indian Ex-Services League (Punjab and Chandigarh), Colonel C S Dhillon, and high court lawyer Maj Navdeep Singh on behalf of ex-Army Vice-Chief Lt-Gen S Pattabhiraman. The cremation was attended by a large number of ex-servicemen.