NEW DELHI: The 50-year-old Amar Jawan Jyoti (AJJ), under the arch of the majestic India Gate, is no more. A part of the eternal flame of AJJ was taken and “merged” with a similar flame at the adjoining National War Memorial (NWM) in a solemn ceremony on Friday, amidst a raging political slugfest and mixed reactions from military veterans.
The 30-minute ceremony saw chief of integrated defence staff Air Marshal B R Krishna lighting a ‘mashaal’ (torch) from the AJJ, which was then ceremoniously escorted by a tri-service guard contingent of over 100 military personnel to the NWM around 300 metres away.
The AJJ flame was then “merged” with the NWM flame with full military honours. “The NWM, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25, 2019, stands testimony to the sacrifices made by all our gallant soldiers since Independence,” a senior defence ministry official said.
The names of 26,466 fallen soldiers, who have so far laid down their lives in various wars and counter-insurgency operations since 1947, are etched in golden letters on granite tablets at the NWM. “All homage ceremonies, including Republic Day and Independence Day, have been conducted at the NWM since its inauguration,” he added.
Such ceremonies were earlier held at the AJJ, which consisted of a cenotaph with a reversed rifle capped by a helmet, was inaugurated by the then PM Indira Gandhi on January 26, 1972, to honour the 3,843 soldiers who sacrificed their lives while liberating Bangladesh in December, 1971.
The India Gate, which was inaugurated in 1931, was constructed by the British in memory of over 84,000 Indian soldiers killed fighting for the Empire in World War-I and the Anglo-Afghan campaign.
Veterans were divided on the decision to “extinguish” the AJJ, with many stressing that the better option would have been to allow both the eternal flames to co-exist, like they have for the last three years.
Addressing the PM, Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd) said, “Sir, the eternal flame at India Gate is part of India’s psyche. You, I and our generation grew up saluting our brave jawans there. While the NWM is great, the memories of AJJ are indelible.”
Many veterans, however, supported the government’s decision. Former Army chief General V P Malik (retd) said it was “a natural thing” to merge the flames since the NWM has been established now, with all ceremonials related to remembrance and honouring soldiers killed in action being held there.
Expressing “great satisfaction” on merging the AJJ with NWM’s eternal flame, Lt-Gen Satish Dua (retd) said, “As someone who had steered the design selection and construction of the NWM, I had been of this view all along.”
