Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to act on a complaint related to the disappearance of an Army jawan, Anand Patri from Odisha’s Bhadrak district, during the India-Pakistan war in 1965.
Patri of Gandhighat Sasan under Dhusuri block was a sepoy in the Corps of Engineers Personnel. He was reported to be lodged in Lahore prison.
The apex rights panel issued the direction, asking the Ministry to take up the matter with the neighbouring country and trace the missing jawan, on August 25 while hearing a petition filed by human rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, who urged the commission to intervene since Patri’s family members did not succeed in getting the veteran soldier back despite running from pillar to post for decades. “Family members of the PoW, who fought in the 1962 war with China and 1965 war with Pakistan and went missing thereafter, have not been paid any legal dues since then. The government is not taking keen interest to trace him and take care of his life and liberty,” Tripathy said seeking adequate compensation for his surviving legal heirs.
The commission has also asked the Union Home secretary to associate the complainant/family members of the PoW and inform them of the action taken in the matter.
In 2021, the NHRC had directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take appropriate action, but the latter stated in its reply that it is the responsibility of the Defence Ministry since Patri was working in the Indian Army.
His family staying in Kalyani area of Dhamnagar block have knocked all possible doors for his return but to no avail. In February this year, his son had urged the Centre to intervene and ensure the release of his father from Pakistan jail. “My father was serving as a sepoy in the Bengal Defence Regiment during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 when he went missing. My family staying in the Dhamnagar block of Odisha’s Bhadrak district. If he (father) died in prison, we need a death certificate from Pakistan authorities. I also appeal to President of India Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi to get justice for him,” Bidyadhar was then quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He came to know about his father in Pakistan’s prison through a newspaper publication in 2003, which stated that Patri was lodged in Lahore jail but was mentally unsound. He also learnt that his father had lost his memory and was referring to himself as Nasim Gopal.
The missing soldier’s son along with his wife and Roy even went to Wagah border with the hope of receiving Patri on December 22, 2006, but had to return with a heavy heart as Pakistan government released many POWs on that day except him. “Pakistani authorities were supposed to release him in 2007, however, they took back my father as he was an Indian army prisoner. They had made a condition to release Anand Patri as a civilian but Indian authorities refused to accept,” he had said.
Bidyadhar also met Diganta organisation’s Utpal Roy, who had confirmed that Patri was recruited into the Army from Kolkata and also fought in the 1962 India-China war, in Kolkata and requested him to help in this matter. Even Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to former foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee for help in 2006.
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