PM Modi pays homage to fallen soldiers at newly-built National War Memorial for first time
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid homage to the fallen soldiers at the newly-built National War Memorial here on the Republic Day for the first time instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch.
The iconic memorial in the India Gate complex behind the canopy was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25 last year.
Amar Jawan Jyoti is symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldier's helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it. It was built in 1972 underneath the India Gate arch to commemorate soldiers martyred in the Indo-Pak War of 1971.
Spread over an area of approximately 40 acres, National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely -- the 'Amar Chakra', 'Veerta Chakra', 'Tyag Chakra' and the 'Rakshak Chakra' with names of 25,942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.
It also includes a central 15.5-m obelisk, an eternal flame and six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force and the Navy in a covered gallery (Veerta Chakra).
The memorial is dedicated to soldiers killed during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999, and also those in the UN peacekeeping missions.
The 42 m-high India Gate was built during the British Raj as the All India War Memorial Arch to honour the soldiers who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919). The landmark has the names of soldiers inscribed on its surface.
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UP: Woman tehsildar accuses Firozabad DM of harassment, seeks CM's intervention
Firozabad (UP) (PTI): A woman tehsildar here has levelled serious allegations of harassment and undue pressure against the district magistrate, even as no official response from the latter was available till Friday.
Tehsildar Rakhi Sharma, posted in Tundla, accused District Magistrate (DM) Ramesh Ranjan and his office of pressuring her to manipulate an inquiry report related to alleged corruption.
Addressing reporters, Sharma claimed she was asked by the DM, his officer on special duty (OSD) and other staff to present the inquiry report in a particular manner. "When I refused to comply, I was subjected to harassment," she alleged, adding that the harassment has been continuing for the past nine months.
She further alleged her salary was withheld without any explanation, and she was given an adverse entry in her service record.
Sharma also claimed that the DM's OSD demanded an iPhone from her, which she provided, and the device was being currently used by the DM.
According to Sharma, her salary was later released following a court order, but the harassment continued and multiple inquiries were initiated against her.
The tehsildar has sought intervention from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding action against the district magistrate and a high-level probe into the matter.
She also raised questions over her apparent transfer from Tundla to Shikohabad, saying she has not received any official transfer order yet.
Efforts to contact the district magistrate for a response were unsuccessful, and no official statement has been issued from his side till late Friday.
Meanwhile, Sharma also lodged an FIR at Tundla police station against a local reporter of a news channel, alleging threats and invoking relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
