Is Amar Jawan Jyoti in India being extinguished? What's the controversy? Read its history and significance
Amar Jawan Jyoti flame
Amar Jawan Jyoti, meaning the flame of the immortal soldier, is a memorial in the Indian capital, New Delhi. It was constructed after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
The memorial was constructed to commemorate the martyred soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who died during the war, which India won leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
Amar Jawan Jyoti flame to be extinguished?
News agencies reported that the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate will be extinguished after 50 years and merged with the flame at the National War Memorial here on Friday (January 21).
Controversy
Soon after the news broke out that the eternal Amar Jawan Jyoti flame will be extinguished, it became a topic of discussion on social media forums as people started debating whether the government should do it.
However, the military officials said on Thursday that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti will be merged with the flame at the National War Memorial, which is just 400 metres away on the other side of India Gate.
Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted: "Extinguishing Amar Jawan Jyoti tantamounts to extinguishing history For it commentates sacrifice of those 3,483 brave soldiers who cleaved Pakistan into 02 parts and redrew map of South Asia post partition It is ironical that in 50 th year of liberation of Bangladesh, Government seems to be working overtime to erase India`s finest hour in Post Independent History".
Government clarification
Government sources said that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished but is being merged with the flame at the National War Memorial.
"It was an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti pays homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other wars but none of their names are present there," sources said.
History and significance of Amar Jawan Jyoti
Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972.
However, sources claimed that the names inscribed on the India Gate are of only some martyrs who fought for the British in World War I and the Anglo-Afghan War and thus is a symbol of our colonial past.
National War Memorial
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 25, 2019, inaugurated the National War Memorial, where names of 25,942 soldiers have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.
)
)
)
)
)