1971 War-Heroes: "Missing" Jawan Mangal Singh alive in Paki jail, family hopes for his home-return after 49 long yrs
16 Dec 2020 15:38:42
For the last five decades, a gallant soldier from Jalandhar L/Nk Mangal Singh who fought against Pakistan in the 1971 war has been imprisoned in Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat Jail. For the last 49 yrs, his wife Satya along with two sons has been waiting for the day when she would be able to see her missing husband. During the 1971 war, one-day L/Nk Mangal Singh’s family received a telegram from the army saying that a boat carrying soldiers in Bangladesh had sunken and all the soldiers including Mangal Singh were martyred. Since then, his wife Satya who was then 27 yrs old has spent decades waiting for her husband and seeking help from the governments of the country, but a letter only recently received by the family from the External Affairs Minister has now given new hopes to Satya.
L/Nk Mangal Singh was recruited around 1962 in the Indian Army. In the 1971 India-Pakistan war, Lance Naik Mangal Singh was transferred from Ranchi to Kolkata and posted on the Bangladesh front. From the day Mangal went missing during the mission, his wife Satya has been patiently waiting for her husband's return. She even insisted on her "missing" husband's release but could not get any concrete help from the state or central governments. Recalling his military father, Mangal Singh’s son and retired soldier, Daljit Singh too had reportedly said on record that his family, through several politicians, army officers, administrative officers, and media made several attempts for the return of Mangal Singh but all in vain.
However, Satya Devi did not give up hope while struggling for her husband’s home return and raised her children all by herself. Her efforts have finally paid off when after sending a number of letters to the Government of India, 49 years later, Satya has been informed about her husband being alive in Pakistan.
The Foreign Ministry has informed the family that L/Nk Mangal Singh is imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan. Efforts will be made towards speeding up their release by communicating with the Pakistan Government. Satya and her two sons have been looking forward to seeing Mangal Singh for the last 49 years, now they just hope that he will soon return to them.
The “missing 54”
The military conflict between India and Pakistan had occurred from 3 Dec 1971 to 16 Dec 1971. By the end of the war, Pakistan had lost half of its territory and surrendered to India along with 93000 Pakistani service personnel (PoW). Pakistan was split into two parts and Bangladesh was born. In military history, this war is also called the “Fall of Dhaka”.
While India released Pakistan's 93,000 prisoners in 1972, the then government failed to get 54 Indian Bravehearts whose fate has been unknown for long years. As per army veterans, the Pakistan government never actually responded to the letters written by the Indian High Commission seeking information about the Indian PoWs. The Ministry of External Affairs in an affidavit submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2017 had informed the court that the Pakistan government has neither provided consular access to the prisoners of war nor did it respond to India's request to confirm Indian soldiers' detention. According to reports, there are at least 54 Indian Prisoners of War in Pakistan, out of which some are seriously ill and some have lost mental balance or even died under mysterious circumstances.