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Sarabjit Singh’s Death: Changing Parameters Of Martyrdom

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By Abhimanyu Kulkarni:

Listed below are some of the definitions of martyr that I came across :

“One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle”
“One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles”
“a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs”

Sarabjit Singh died of cardiac arrest at Jinnah Hospital on 2nd May. This was a week after he was assaulted by other inmates in a Lahore Jail.

M_Id_380740_Sarabjit_Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described Sarabjit Singh as a “national martyr”. He also announced that the Indian death row prisoner, who died in Pakistan, will be given a state funeral. Being the son of an army officer, I might be a little biased here — but referring to a prisoner who wandered across the border in a drunken stupor, as a martyr, seems far-fetched to me. This indirectly compares him with all the soldiers who have given up their lives willingly.

When I hear the term ‘Martyr’, some of the names that come to my mind are Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad, Wing Commander K Nachiketa (Vayusena Medal recipient , held Prisoner of War during Kargil War), 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal, Captain Vikram Batra, Lance Naik Karam Singh (all recipients of Param Vir Chakra). These are but just a few out of the thousands who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the nation. Who were more concerned about their brethren then themselves. When General Manekshaw died, none of the ministers or chiefs turned up.

On the night of 28 August 1990, Sarabjit was arrested by Pakistani border guards in an inebriated state on the Indo-Pakistani border near Kasur. He was initially arrested on the charges of illegally crossing the India-Pakistan border. But after eight days, the Pakistani police charged him with being involved in the 1990 terror blasts at Faislabad and Lahore. He was convicted in Pakistan as ‘Manjit Singh‘ , evidence of which is still missing. In 1991, Sarabjit was given the death sentence under the Pakistan’s Army Act. His sentence was upheld by the High Court and later by the Pakistan Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed his petition to review his death sentence in March 2006 as Sarabjit’s lawyers failed to appear for the hearing.

Whatever transpired in this case is politically and morally wrong, but I fail to see how it classifies him as a martyr. He and his family have suffered a lot, and I’m glad to see that the government is giving them full support and assistance. Prakash Badal has also announced that Punjab government provide jobs to both the daughters of Sarabjit.

Sarabjit singh was an innocent Indian who was wrongly accused and ill-treated by Pakistan. But, does that turn him into a national martyr ?

You must be to comment.

  1. Achilles Rasquinha

    The death of an innocent man. True said, it provides a shame to those who sacrificed their lives if he is termed a martyr. He was just innocent. RIP.

  2. rishita19

    this deitification and demonification is a problematic practice in our country… but ofcourse i don’t mean to make an issue about conferment of the said title to him when i say so… but i do agree that there is a problem with it for two reasons..a) this hampers us from seeing the whole episode in true light.., I mean this has happened when we are living so we know the story… but the coming generations will probably be told a different story (to remove this ambiguity that you have pointed out) and half the truth will be lost… the difference between someone who chooses to suffer and one who is made to suffer will be closed… b) in the end we end up giving titles and names like martyr, and nirbhaya or damini, but fail to get justice delivered…

    since there’s no word for such a person and calling them “just another sufferer” is also not apt, hence the title probably… that throws light upon another weakness of ours… i.e. either we don’t have the ability/ the govt. just does not allow us to keep a cause alive till justice is delivered… these titles and names help us to keep them alive for a little longer, and the authorities to linger the matter endlessly…

    there are some things you cannot really stand up against… this is one of those things… most won’t understand the point here… that what is being said is not to demean Sarabjeet but to make sure that things are understood and talked about exactly the way they actually are…

  3. rishita19

    http://tribune.com.pk/story/513509/sarabjit-singh-an-extraordinary-miscarriage-of-justice/#.UYJOmVY4tgg.facebook

  4. sg02

    we have uneducated, corrupt politicians and much poverty and lack of education in our country. when these two classes go hand in hand … things happen like sarabhjeet get “martyr” status..
    @rishita: ‘in the end we end up giving titles and names like martyr, and nirbhaya or damini, but fail to get justice delivered…’.. yes indeed! that is the harsh reality.. all the candle marches cant get justice delivered in our country..

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Now as an MH Fellow with YKA, she’s expanding her impressive scope of work further by launching a campaign to facilitate the process of ensuring better menstrual health and SRH services for women residing in correctional homes in West Bengal. The campaign will entail an independent study to take stalk of the present conditions of MHM in correctional homes across the state and use its findings to build public support and political will to take the necessary action.

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The long-term aim of the campaign is to develop an open culture where menstruation is not treated as a taboo. The campaign also seeks to hold the schools accountable for their responsibilities as an important component in the implementation of MHM policies by making adequate sanitation infrastructure and knowledge of MHM available in school premises.

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Harshita is a psychologist and works to support people with mental health issues, particularly adolescents who are survivors of violence. Associated with the Azadi Foundation in UP, Harshita became an MHM Fellow with YKA, with the aim of promoting better menstrual health.

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Meri Marzi aims to ensure sensitised, non-discriminatory health workers for the needs of female sex workers in the Suraksha Clinics under the UPSACS (Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society) program by creating more dialogues and garnering public support for the cause of sex workers’ menstrual rights. The campaign will also ensure interventions with sex workers to clear misconceptions around overall hygiene management to ensure that results flow both ways.

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MH Fellow Sabna comes with significant experience working with a range of development issues. A co-founder of Project Sakhi Saheli, which aims to combat period poverty and break menstrual taboos, Sabna has, in the past, worked on the issue of menstruation in urban slums of Delhi with women and adolescent girls. She and her team also released MenstraBook, with menstrastories and organised Menstra Tlk in the Delhi School of Social Work to create more conversations on menstruation.

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A student from Delhi School of Social work, Vineet is a part of Project Sakhi Saheli, an initiative by the students of Delhi school of Social Work to create awareness on Menstrual Health and combat Period Poverty. Along with MHM Action Fellow Sabna, Vineet launched Menstratalk, a campaign that aims to put an end to period poverty and smash menstrual taboos in society.

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As a Youth Ki Awaaz Menstrual Health Fellow, Nitisha has started Let’s Talk Period, a campaign to mobilise young people to switch to sustainable period products. She says, “80 lakh women in Delhi use non-biodegradable sanitary products, generate 3000 tonnes of menstrual waste, that takes 500-800 years to decompose; which in turn contributes to the health issues of all menstruators, increased burden of waste management on the city and harmful living environment for all citizens.

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A former Assistant Secretary with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in West Bengal for three months, Lakshmi Bhavya has been championing the cause of menstrual hygiene in her district. By associating herself with the Lalana Campaign, a holistic menstrual hygiene awareness campaign which is conducted by the Anahat NGO, Lakshmi has been slowly breaking taboos when it comes to periods and menstrual hygiene.

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