3 govt schools to be named after martyrs
Decades after the martyrdom of Major Puransingh, Vir Chakra, who attained martyrdom in 1965 while fighting in Pakistan, Grenadier Rafiq Khan, Vir Chakra, who laid down his life in Indo- Pak war of 1971 and Major Bhupendra Singh, Shaurya Chakra, who made supreme sacrifice for the country in Operation Manipur in 1994, Rajasthan government has decided to name three government schools in Bikaner after these war heroes.
District army welfare office has recommended the education department to name the schools after three martyrs after an amendment in state government policy of naming the schools.
According to the recent amendment, the schools can be named after every martyr who died in operations before or after April 1, 1999. Sources said that the policy of naming schools was introduced to honour the martyrs of Kargil conflict and later the gallantry award holder martyrs were added. The amendment allows the authorities to include every warrior who sacrificed his life in any operation and war.
The state has targeted to cover all the war heroes of 1965, 1971 and 1999 along with those who attained martyrdom during proxy wars. The process introduced in 2016 aims to name schools after martyrs and those who have shown bravery in the battlefield. The state has directed district education officers and the Army Welfare Board to identify soldiers and recommend schools to be renamed.
District army welfare officer Colonel B K Majomdar said, “This is to pay our respects to the real life heroes and to instil a sense of nationalism among students. Now, three more martyrs will be remembered for there supreme sacrifice.”
Sources said that the army welfare office has moved its proposal with the recommendations of district collector to the education department for renaming government senior secondary fort school, Bikaner, after Major Puransingh, Vir Chakra, government senior secondary school, Goga Gate, Bikaner, after Grenadier Rafiq Khan, Vir Chakra and government upper primary school at 3 KJD of Khajuwala, after Major Bhopendra Singh, Shaurya Chakra.
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