Dear Sir,

1. The pathetic case of Capt Vijendra Singh Gurung, 3 ASSAM was brought to notice of TSEWA. He is a short service commissioned officer. Had his schooling in King George’s Military School, Chail, HP. He was an excellent sportsman and got commission as Short Service Commissioned Officer.
2. He was commissioned into 3 ASSAM. His battalion was deployed in Akhnoor Sector prior to 1971 War. Due to poor leadership of GOC 10 Inf Div, we lost Chamb in the Chamb Jaurian sector of J&K in the Indo –Pak 1971 war. He was taken as Prisoner when Pakis overran our defences in Chamb sector on the very first night of 03 Dec 1971 along with many others. As was expected he was tortured for more than one year in Paki jails. He was lucky in that he was repatriated back to India in 1973 due to intervention of World Red Cross unlike 54 PWs who are still languishing in Paki jails till date. If you see the list of those 54 PWs most of them are captured either in Hussainiwala of Punjab or in Chamb in J & K.
3. Due to inhuman torture, Capt Vijendra Singh Gurung became a mental wreck. What happened thereafter is very heart wrenching. He, for what reason, was not given psychiatric treatment in the MHs or Command Hospitals and was not granted permanent commission. This is how our system works.
4. He now leads a pathetic life in Dehradun. Brig RS Rawat, President TSEWA Uttarakhand, Lt Col Anil Joshi his Chail School mate and others gave details about the way this SS Officer lives today. He works as a labourer and lives in a hut of 8 ft x 6 ft. He cooks his own food by burning firewood he collects from here and there. I do not know why he does not get medical treatment as discharged SS officer in MH.
5. The Nation has forgotten him, the Army has forgotten him and painfully his own ASSAM Regt has forgotten this brave officer. But TSEWA has not forgotten this war hero. We in TSEWA will help him as much as we can. We cannot allow even our worst enemy to undergo the kind of life Capt Vijendra Singh Gurung is undergoing as on today. TSEWA will do whatever it can. But every one of us have to chip in our bit and see this officer lives a decent life till his last days. I have recommended to National Executive Committee of TSEWA to sanction Rs 10,000 per month to this officer for life.
6. Brig RS Rawat has met him and saw for himself what kind of hut he is living and how he is surviving. I do not think even street children live like this. It is a shame for our Ex-Servicemen community to let our own brother to live like this. Let the Nation forget him. Let the Army which earns crores forget him. But TSEWA, you and I cannot forget Capt Vijendra Singh Gurung.
7. My humble request to all of you to pledge a small amount of Rs 100 to be sent to TSEWA for helping Capt Vijendra Gurung. Whatever you send specifically for him will be sent to Brig RS Rawat who will further hand over the amount to him. Let me see how many of us will come to help this unfortunate officer. Your donation may be sent to TSEWA –Corpus. When you send the money either by cheque or NEFT or standing instructions to your bank to remit the money every month to TSEWA, kindly in your letter or e-mail mention that it is specifically for Capt Vijendra Singh Gurung.

Warm regards,

Brig CS Vidyasagar (Rtd)
President, TSEWA
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