Kundan Ojha, 26, was one of 20 soldiers who sacrificed his life in a brutal encounter with Chinese forces in Ladakh's Galwan valley on the evening of June 15, 2020.
Namrata Kumari, his wife, and their daughter Diksha survive him. Namrata last spoke to him when their daughter Diksha was born, only 17 days before he was killed in the line of duty.
Kundan and Namrata, who had made numerous vows to each other over their two years of marriage, had intended to celebrate the birth of their daughter together. However, all promises were unmet.
While nothing can ever compensate for the loss of life, the Jharkhand government has made a number of pledges to the martyr's family in order to ensure their survival. Namrata states that nothing has been done for them other than a Rs 10 lakh ex gratia payment.
"My husband was martyred for the country. He sacrificed his life while fighting for the country but the government couldn't do anything for the martyr's wife."
Kundan was the family's main breadwinner. Namrata and their daughter are reliant on her in-laws when he died. She claims she needs a job in order to raise their kid independently and care for Kundan's elderly parents.
"It's been a year, but I haven't got a job. I should get a job so that I can raise my daughter well and look after my family. The government should help us and must give me a job. It is very important for me."
Kundan Ojha and Ganesh Hansda were two Jharkhand Galwan martyrs whose families allege they have been granted Rs 10 lakh ex gratia but have yet to get the free property promised to them. Ganesh was also the lone breadwinner in his family.
The Jharkhand government vowed to provide the relatives of the Galwan martyrs a free plot of land and asked the Centre to provide them with a petrol pump
"Kundan made a lot of promises which he couldn't fulfil. When my husband was martyred, people remembered it for a few days. People came to meet us for 2-4 days. Now, everyone has forgotten about him."
The state governments have granted jobs to the wives and children of Galwan martyrs from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, and Punjab.
In a first, the Punjab administration deviated from the state's current "Policy of Appointments of Honour and Gratitude." They accepted an alteration to the current guidelines to allow married siblings of three bachelor war fatalities of the Galwan encounter to work in state services.
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