Martyr's wife embarrassed by Akhilesh's 'felicitation'

It was a felicitation that left the wife of Abdul Hamid, who had posthumously received PVC, country's highest military decoration, for his bravery in the Indo-Pak war in 1965, hugely embarrassed.
 
Hamid's 95-year old wife Rasoolan Bibi had been ''felicitated'' Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav a couple of days back at a function in Azamgarh district, about 300 kilometres from here.
 
Interestingly Rasoolan Bibi came to know about her felicitation after reports to this effect were published in the local media. ''I was neither invited nor attended the function,'' a shocked Rasoolan told reporters on Friday.
 
According to the reports, the local unit of the SP had organised a program at Nathhupur village in the district on Wednesday during which Akhilesh was to unveil the statue of Ram Samujh Yadav, also a martyr. The party had invited the kin of the martyrs from the district and nearby areas, who were felicitated by Akhilesh on this occasion.
 
The organisers called out the name of Rasoolan Bibi and she was also ''felicitated'' amid loud clapping. It later turned out that a 70-year old woman reached on the stage and was felicitated.
 
''She never goes anywhere alone...she is always accompanied by one or more members of the family...on Wednesday she was at home,'' said Jamil, Hamid's grand son.
 
Havildar Abdul Hamid of 4 Grenadiers, who was commander of the RCL (Recoilless) gun detachment, had destroyed several enemy tanks in Khemkaran sector during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. He was awarded PVC six days after he was martyred in the battlefield.
 
''It was a mistake...we will meet Rasoolan Bibi and tender apology...we will also felicitate her,'' said a senior district SP leader in Azamgarh. 
 
BJP leaders also slammed the SP for ''humiliating'' the martyr's wife. The saffron party is planning to hold a program to felicitate Rasoolan Bibi on September 10, the day Hamid had been martyred in the battlefield.