Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Jul 7: South India's only Amar Jawan Jyoti at Puttur has been vandalised by unknown miscreants. The memorial set up in memory of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country was damaged. This fact came to light on Tuesday July 6.

Amar Jawan Jyoti stands as a mark of patriotism and respect for the soldiers. The flame at the memorial keeps burning perpetually. The people are aghast and angry at the highhandedness of the miscreants. Four days back, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the city had been meddled with, and this second incident happening in quick succession has also surprised the people and the administration alike.

Amar Jawan Jyoti was installed in Kille ground in the heart of the city in 2017 on behalf of Ambika group of educational institutions being run by Nattoja Foundation. In this memorial meant to express respect for the brave soldiers, a flame that depicts patriotism burns incessantly.

The incident came to light when the manager of Ambika institutions visited the memorial on Tuesday morning. He found that the glass case covering the flame was shattered, and a coconut had fallen by its side. On the face of it, it appears that mischief mongers had thrown a coconut at the memorial with the specific purpose of harming it. Puttur town police visited the spot and undertook investigation.

In the case pertaining to the defacing of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Gadhikatte near Puttur bus stand four days back, the police had found that a beggar had wiped the statue with a cloth which he had left on the head of the statue before leaving. Town station police sub-inspector Jambooraj Mahajan, said that this case will be probed and facts will be revealed.

This Amar Jawan Jyoti is the only memorial set up by a private institution to pay tributes to our soldiers. Damaging the memorial is tantamount to insulting the sacrifices of the soldiers. Secretary of Ambika group of educational institutions, Subrahmanya Nattoja, commented that those who committed this act after enjoying the food offered by the nation and living under the protection of our soldiers who are ready to lay down their lives for the sake of the country, is unpardonable. He feels that damaging the memorial is an act of treason.