75-year-old Satya Devi who hails from Jalandhar was only 26-year-old when her Lance Nayak husband Mangal Singh was brought as a prisoner of war by the Pakistan army in 1971. Satya’s longing to meet her husband was revitalized by a letter written by the President of India’s office on December 2, 2020, declaring that he was alive and steps are being made to get him liberated along with others.
“The name of Lance Naik Mangal Singh is one among the 83 defense personnel in its custody. The government remains seized of the matter and continues to pursue this matter with the government of Pakistan,” states the letter acquired by Satya from Deputy Secretary, President of India’s office on December 2, 2020.
The letter sent to Mangal Singh’s wife has onetime again thrown light on the unlawful custody of 83 missing Indian defense personnel including the prisoners of war.”We have been waiting for his liberation for the last 49 years. I did my best to get him freed. Wrote several letters to the government. It was only after 49 years that the authorities confirmed he was alive. We have been told that Mangal Singh is lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail of Pakistan,” says Satya who never took that Mangal Singh was martyred and has spent the last 49 years with the yearning that she will meet him one day.
Satya, who has pleaded to the Indian government for early liberation of her husband told that she was living with Lance Nayak Mangal Singh when he was stationed as with 14th Punjab Regiment in West Bengal.”He had joined the Army in 1962 and was first posted in Ranchi. He was later repositioned to Kolkata, West Bengal, and was reported lost on the intervening night of November 21-22, 1971. We were mailed a telegram saying that the boat carrying him and other soldiers sank and he has passed away,” says Satya.
The family was shocked when a year later Mangal Singh unexpectedly appeared on Rawalpindi Radio in 1972 and declared he was alive. He had also said that he was a family man and had two sons named Daljeet Singh and Baljinder Singh.”My eldest son was just three years old and the other was just a year old when he went lost. It was hard to raise them as I was gaining a monthly pension of Rs 250. I started stitching clothes to support the family income,” says Satya.
An Indian prisoner recognized as Rafuddin who was freed in 2012 had revealed Satya’s family that Mangal Singh was alive.”Saifuddin, who hails from Meerut had given us a letter which was written by KK Shar ma informing us that many Indian war prisoners were suffering in Pakistan jails. Mangal Singh was one of them. We were also informed that my father was not well,” Mangal’s elder son Daljeet Singh said.
Rafiuddin had also stated about the situation of Indian prisoners in Pakistan jails. He had asserted that Pakistan authorities would conceal Indian war prisoners and would move them to other jails whenever the Indian administration enquired about them. Mangal Singh’s family expects that he will be liberated soon. So far they have not heard anything about Mangal Singh from the Pakistan government which persists to keep silent on the liberation of the Indian prisoners of war.
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