The Mumbai terrorist attack has left the Government with a million questions to answer to its people. Just a day after the execution of Ajmal Kasab, key terrorist involved in the Mumbai 26/ 11 terrorist attack, in Pune’s Yerwada Jail, the Government has found itself in the crux of yet another controversy.

Activist and politician Arvind Kejriwal has raised attention to the plight of NSG commandos who, according to him, are the real heroes from that night.

Through the case of former NSG commando Surendra Singh, Kejriwal in a press conference in the Press Club of India in the national capital highlighted the difficulties that NSG commandos were facing because of apathy from the side of the Government.

Surrendra Singh, who served as a commando in the Grenadiers Unit during the Mumbai terrorist attack, lost his hearing ability during the attack and found himself without a job as a commando after the incident on becoming medically unfit for the job. “I am okay with having lost my job. I did not want to be a burden on the Government. But why am I not being given any pension or being reimbursed for my medical expenses?” questioned Singh.

Despite having contributed in the NSG for 14 years and 3 months, the former commando is now being refused pension by the Government on the basis of a law that commandos should have served for 15 years for them to be applicable for pension. “It is almost as though they (the Government) are searching for ways to prevent giving pension to these commandos,” said Kejriwal.

Singh who has been running from pillar to post trying to find out why he was not being given his pension money also filled an RTI to answer his queries.

“But I was told that the NSG did not come under the purview of the RTI and hence my questions would not be answered,” he said.  He claims to have seen copies of cheques from companies funding for the medical treatment of NSG commandos and says that this amount had not reached any of the commandos.

“I have seen a photocopy of money being given to me from Rohan Motors and another company. But I was never given this amount. Where is the money now?” he questioned, adding, “I do not want the money, but what I do want is accountability. I need to know where the money that was actually given to me has gone.”

As Surrendra Singh shared his story with the media, the Government was quick to share its version of the story on Twitter, to which Arvind Kejriwal reacted harshly. “Has Twitter become more official than the RTI?” questioned Kejriwal, opposing the Government’s tweets of having sanctioned war injury pension to Surrender and calling them as blatant lies.