Amar Jawan Jyoti merger row

Amar Jawan Jyoti merger row

Over in india a political storm is brewing over the the relocation of the umar jawan jyoti an eternal flame that has been burning since 1971 to honor the valor of the indian armed forces this afternoon it was merged with another flame at the national war memorial near the india gate this move has been met with mixed reactions critics say it's an insult to indian traditions army veterans say it was long overdue here's a report.

It has been burning since 1971. it pays homage to india's fallen soldiers and its iconic site has inspired generations of indians.

Amar jawan jyoti or the eternal flame is etched strongly in the emotional psyche of the entire country every year india's republic day parades start with the visuals of this flame [Music] instilling a sense of pride over the indian armed forces [Applause] this year the flame has been shifted to a new address it has been relocated to a site barely 400 meters away from india gate another iconic monument built in 2019 to honor the sacrifice of indian soldiers on friday afternoon the amar jawanji oti was emerged with the eternal flame at this war memorial.

several army veterans including former chiefs of the armed forces have welcomed the move but it has also triggered political furor opposition parties say the flame has been extinguished they're calling it an insult to indian history and traditions also to the soldiers who lay down their lives for the country.

The government says it's not it says the flame has not been extinguished but has only been merged the question is why was this necessary there are several reasons being cited by the government the first one is the fact that india gate where amar jyoti was originally located was built by the british to honor indian soldiers who fought for britain in the first world war the government says this makes the site a symbol of india's colonial past the second reason is the fact that out of the 83 000 soldiers who died in britain's military campaigns only the names of 13516 were inscribed on india gate the amar jawan jyoti was inaugurated in 1972 by then indian prime minister indira gandhi the aim was to honor indian soldiers who died in the 1971 indo-pakistan war the national war memorial on the other hand has the names of all indian soldiers who laid down their lives before and after 1971 this makes it an all-encompassing monument for the indian army and lastly since 2020 all ceremonial events of the indian army have been shifted to the war memorial for instance every republic day a wreath used to be placed at the amar jamaan julty to honor the valor of dead and unknown soldiers but since 2020 the prime minister the president and the three service staff chiefs lay the wreath at the national war memorial instead.

The memorial was promised to the armed forces in the 1960s but was only approved by the maori government in 2015. some veterans say this delay by successive governments in building the memorial was disrespectful to the army not the merging of the eternal flames the debate continues.