By Ashwini K

The state and central governments spend around Rs.7,64,16,000 and Rs.14,32,26,408 respectively on freedom fighters’ pension every year.

IT IS a known fact that a registered freedom fighter is entitled to benefits like pension, free railway transport facility (third lass AC in Rajdhani Express), free medical facility, free land assets and reservations for their children and grandchildren in government employment and professional institutions.

According to records maintained by the Department of Home Affairs, 1592 freedom fighters receive a pension of Rs.4000 per month from the Government of Goa and 962 freedom fighters receive a pension of Rs.12,407 per month from the Government of India. Assuming the accuracy of these figures, a rough calculation shows that the state and central governments spend around Rs.7,64,16,000 and Rs.14,32,26,408 respectively on pension for this category alone every year. The amount varies with the area of imprisonment suffered by each person and increases, sometimes annually, with the rise in the living index.

INCOME BAR

“THE Swatantra Sainik Samman Scheme of the central government carried an income bar during the first few years after its inception in 1972. The income bar was later lifted based on an argument of Indira Gandhi that the money was more of an ‘honorarium’ i.e. a samman than a pension,” informs freedom fighter Naguesh Karmali. In case of such amounts, certain conditions have been laid down for those who may receive them. A person is entitled to the above mentioned pension on being duly registered as a ‘freedom fighter’. Upon the death of such a person, the total pension amount is then transferred to the spouse. In the absence of a legal spouse, the first three unmarried, unemployed daughters of the freedom fighter are to receive an amount of Rs.2940 each. In the absence of a spouse and a legal progeny, the pension is transferred to the parents, if they are alive.

According to the central government, a person who has undergone imprisonment for three to six months, suffered physically, lost property or faced financial loss is a freedom fighter. Another criterion to be declared as a freedom fighter is that a person should have gone underground for a minimum period of three continuous years.

The prior criterion can be followed easily due to the records maintained by various courts, jails and other police institutions. It is the second criterion that has proved to be problematic. The criterion talks of work done by going underground, but it fails to state the nature of such underground activities. Thus, many persons have been declared as freedom fighters based on mere circumstantial evidence and on affidavits and ‘certificates’ issued by some registered freedom fighters confirming the role played by these ‘forgotten’ freedom fighters. This trend has led to a sudden growth in the number of registered freedom fighters over the past few years. Hundreds of people have applied claiming to have worked underground and to have stuck posters by night and distributed pamphlets. Prabhakar Sinari, a former freedom fighter and former Inspector General of Police says, “These affidavits are not self-spoken. They are vague and hardly contain any specific details of the contributions by those persons who claim to be freedom fighters.”

APPLICATIONS

DURING the tenure of Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of Goa, a Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Committee was constituted to deliberate 449 pending applications for government recognisation. The committee had approved of only 23 persons and had suggested that instead of adding these persons to the pensioners’ list, they could be given a one-time lump sum acknowledging the role that they had played. This plan was not supported by the then chief secretary J P Singh and was thus abandoned. Whether or not these 23 persons will be added to the register of the Home Department in future still remains unclear.

Prabhakar Sinari is of the opinion that the ongoing addition to the list of freedom fighters is absurd. “The chapter should be over by now. It carries no meaning five decades after liberation. It’s a mockery of those who really fought for freedom,” Sinari asserts. Naguesh Karmali feels that a person should not claim recognition without having made any serious contribution. He further says, “A freedom fighter is one who was continuously active, taking great risks to end colonial rule in Goa.”

Gurunath Kelekar, while talking about the continuous additions to the list of freedom fighters said, “The attractive pensions are to be held responsible. Money and fame are the two main factors involved. Each one who has applied is in fact only looking to gain the privileges that a recognised freedom fighter is given.” “I do not understand the concept of ‘neglected freedom fighters’. Freedom fighters are the ones who freed those who were neglected. How can such persons feel overlooked and victimised? The mere idea that a freedom fighter has problems is obnoxious,” Kelekar adds.

The bar set for being registered as a freedom fighter has been lowered considerably over the past few years. As a result, even those persons whose contributions are doubtful have been recognised. Some of these ‘freedom fighters’ who claim to have contributed to the freedom struggle of Goa were as young as 14-15 years old during the final phase of the movement. Yet, an indiscriminate elongation of the list of freedom fighters continues.

DECEASED FIGHTERS

FLAVIANO Dias, a former freedom fighter, informed that around 60% of the 1592 recognised freedom fighters are deceased. According to a source, 200-250 of the existing 600 recognised freedom fighters are bogus, the reason being the involvement of certain former ministers in getting many persons recognised.
Gurunath Kelekar says, “Ravindra Kelekar once said 80% of the freedom fighters are not genuine. All I can say is that the value of the title of freedom fighter has been gradually diluted.” Flaviano Dias commented,” In a mass satyagraha in 1955 there were some 2000 odd people. These included Goans as well as other Indians. If there are only 1592 recognised freedom fighters today, what about the remaining persons who participated in the satyagraha?”

There have been numerous ugly instances wherein the state and the central governments have conveniently overlooked the rules and conditions to declare persons as freedom fighters of Goa. Back in 2001, the NDA government at the Centre brought 115 RSS men under the Swatantra Sainik Samman Scheme for their role in the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In an article in the Indian Express dated November 6, 2003, Prabhakar Sinari condemning this act wrote, “A systematic campaign is underway to distort and rewrite the history of Goa’s freedom movement. The RSS is trying to take belated credit for a struggle in which its role was, at best, marginal.”

The same 115 RSS members were honoured by the BJP government on the 42nd anniversary of Goa Liberation Day; ‘freedom fighters from outside the state’ were felicitated for their contribution in the movement. Governor Kidarnath Sahani, former chief minister Manohar Parrikar apparently played a major part in organising the function.

There is an urgent need to institute an enquiry into the matter by the concerned authority preventing loss of public funds in providing for such freedom fighters having dubious claims sans concrete evidence.