The Amar Jawan Jyoti or Soldier’s “eternal fire” at India Gate will be extinguished in 50 years and merged with the torch at the National War Memorial in today’s ceremony. A portion of the flame will be brought to the war memorial this afternoon.
In harsh criticism of the move, the government said “a lot of misinformation” was circulating.
“The flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti is not extinguished. It is merging with the flame of the National War Memorial. It is a strange thing to see the flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti paying tribute to 1971 and other martyrs of the war, but their names are not there,” Government sources said.
The India Gate was built by the British to commemorate the soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the First World War. Amar Jawan Jyoti was placed under the Gate of India in 1971 when the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi came to power.
The Indian government says the names stamped on the India Gate are those of those who fought for Britain in World War I and the Anglo-Afghan War, calling it a “symbol of our colonial history”.
Sources say the names of Indian soldiers killed in post-independence wars, including the 1971 war, are inscribed on the National War Memorial. They said: “It is a true shraddhanjali (salutation) to have the flame pay homage to the martyrs there.”
In response to opposition leaders who slammed the government for taking action, a government source said, “It is ironic that those who have not built a national war memorial for seven years are now crying as they pay their respects permanently and properly. We martyrs”.
The reason for the move, the source added, was the increasing difficulty of maintaining the two flames.
Complete News Source : NDTV
