Amar Jawan Jyoti merged with eternal flame at National War Memorial

New Delhi: The Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial (NWM) here on Friday. In a short ceremony, a part of the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame was taken and merged with the flame at the NWM, which is 400 metres away on the other side of India Gate.

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal B R Krishna presided over the ceremony.

#WATCH | Delhi: Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate merged with the flame at the National War Memorial. pic.twitter.com/Nd1dnfvWYW — ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2022

The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which India won, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.

It was inaugurated by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 25, 2019, inaugurated the NWM, where names of 25,942 soldiers have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.

In view of the controversy over extinguishing the eternal flame lit up at Amar Jawan Jyoti, the Centre said that there is a lot of misinformation circulating regarding the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Government sources said that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished but is being merged with the flame at the National War Memorial." It was an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti pays homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other wars but none of their names is present there," sources said.

Sources claimed that the names inscribed on the India Gate are of only some martyrs who fought for the British in World War I and the Anglo-Afghan War and thus is a symbol of our colonial past.

Sources mentioned that the names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars, including 1971 and wars before and after it are housed at the National War Memorial. "Hence it is a true `shraddhanjali` to have the flame paying tribute to martyrs there. It is ironic that people who did not make a National War Memorial for seven decades are now making a hue and cry when a permanent and fitting tribute is being made to our martyrs," sources added.

The Congress has attacked the government over extinguishing the eternal flame lit up at Amar Jawan Jyoti and alleged that it is like `extinguishing history and is nothing short of crime`.

Congress MP Manish Tewari had on Friday tweeted, "Extinguishing Amar Jawan Jyoti tantamounts to extinguishing history For it commentates sacrifice of those 3,483 brave soldiers who cleaved Pakistan into 02 parts and redrew the map of South Asia post-partition It is ironical that in 50th year of liberation of Bangladesh, Government seems to be working overtime to erase India`s finest hour in Post Independent History".

He said Amar Jawan Jyoti is imbued in the National Consciousness and a billion people have grown up venerating it. "Why can`t India have two eternal flames? Amar Jawan Jyoti & National War Memorial," he questioned.