Shri Ajeet Singh
(We present an article ‘Life on the edge for BSF wives….’ on the eve of BSF Day – 1st December written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Director (News), Doordarshan. We are extremely thankful to Shri Ajeet Singh ji for sharing his experience while he was AIR’s correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir for over 19 years.)
☆ BSF Day – 1st December ☆ Sometime in Srinagar: Life on the edge for BSF wives…☆
(Writer Shri Ajeet Singh ji was AIR’s correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir for over 19 years. He retired as Director of News, Doordarshan, Hisar.)
Sometime in Srinagar:
Mrs Ekka suddenly held me by both my wrists and asked me to tell the truth as I, standing at the door, conveyed her a message that she should get ready to go to the army Base Hospital in Srinagar and a vehicle was on the way to pick her up.
Her husband, BSF Assistant Commandant Ekka who lived in the room next to mine in the Safe Zone declared Tourist Reception Centre, had been injured in an encounter with militants in Chhanpora locality of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state. Message had been received on my landline phone as I only had the facility on the second floor of the tourist hotel under security.
She feared the worst. I told her that I had been to the hospital for a coverage and met her husband who was slightly injured in the arm and he was fine after some sort of first aid only. She didn’t believe me.
“Why didn’t he come home if it was an injury requiring first aid only?
Please tell me the truth”, she pleaded and clinched both my wrists as if not to let me go without telling her the truth.
I had not been to the hospital. Ekka’s officer Deputy Commandant Garg had told me on phone about the incident and requested me to bring Mrs Ekka to the hospital. He also cautioned me to ensure that Mrs Ekka was not scared as I conveyed the information.
We locked our rooms and came downstairs where a vehicle waited for us. It was a 20-minute journey. Mrs Ekka was tense but silent. She almost continuously stared at me as if to read my face or eyes to know whether or not I had told her the truth about her husband.
This scared me too from inside. What if Ekka’s injuries were grave or he was ….. no more.
She suddenly turned to the driver and asked him if he had seen her husband.
“He is ok madam. Deputy sahib told me”, he said.
That seemed of not much relief to Mrs. Ekka.
Soon we were in the ward where Ekka was admitted. He was cheerful and welcomed his wife. ” Hey! You need not have bothered. See it is only a minor injury near the elbow”.
Trying to control her tears, Mrs Ekka saw the injured arm and turned her face towards the wall as if praying for the safety of her husband. Deputy Commandant Garg told us that Ekka had killed a militant in the encounter.
She looked at me this time with folded hands.
“Thanks and sorry. Like army wives, we the BSF wives too live constantly praying for our husbands and fearing the worst. It is a life always on the edge”.
I saw this and much more first hand about 25 years ago as the correspondent of All India Radio Srinagar.
I remembered it on the BSF Day that falls on the first of December.
Kashmir is still in turmoil.
© Shri Ajeet Singh
Ex Director (News) Doordarshan
Mo. – 9466647037
≈ Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈
