E-Paper
Shaurya Chakra Awardee Jaswant Kaur passes away
Mother of Haryana DIG Kiratpal Singh and wife of late Dr. Harnam Singh, was among the five Shaurya Chakra Awardee from the family, which was honored for their bravery for taking on the terrorists in 1988. Jaswant (93), was admitted to hospital after chest infection four days ago.
Shaurya Chakra Awardee Jaswant Kaur passed away after a brief illness at Shahbad of Kurukshetra district.
Mother of Haryana DIG Kiratpal Singh and wife of late Dr. Harnam Singh, was among the five Shaurya Chakra Awardee from the family, which was honored for their bravery for taking on the terrorists in 1988.
Jaswant (93), was admitted to hospital after chest infection four days ago.
The mortal remains were cremated with the state honours. Mandeep Singh, grandson of Jaswant Kaur said that she had complaint about chest infection three-four days ago and she was taken to hospital but she could not recover.
Jaswant Kaur’s family had won five Shaurya Chakras for fighting pro-Khalistan militancy, died on Tuesday. Harnam Singh, a Communist leader and former MLA had died due to cancer in November, 2013. He had represented Shahabad constituency from 1987 to 1991 for the Communist Party of India (CPI).
On April 9, 1988, four terrorists had attacked their house at Shahabad in Haryana. The family fought valiantly without any weapons at home, even Harnam Singh and Jaswant Kaur were injured, while their son Kushdev Singh (27), daughter-in-law Gurpreet Kaur (25) and nephew Gurdeep Singh (26) were killed.
The attack took place two week after as on March 23, 1988, then CPI Shahbad MLA Harnam Singh, speaking at a public function, criticized terrorists for killing innocents. .
The President awarded five Shaurya Chakras- two to the couple and three posthumously to the deceased in 1991. This is the only instance in the country when a single family received so many Shaurya Chakras. Awarded for bravery, it is the peacetime equivalent of the Vir Chakra. She is survived by her son Kiratpal Singh and four daughters.
