After waiting for more than a year, the wife of deceased Police constable Amit Rana has written to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal reminding him of his unfulfilled promise that a compensation of Rs 1 crore will be granted to Rana’s family. Without mentioning the name of the selected few families who recently received the compensation amount, Pooja, Amit Rana’s widow, questioned Kejriwal about the discrimination meted out to her family.
It is pertinent to recall that Police constable Amit Kumar Rana, who had succumbed to the infection on May 5, 2020, was the first Covid casualty in the police force. Today, it’s been more than a year since the death of Rana, but, his family is still awaiting Rs 1 crore compensation as was promised by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Reminding the CM of his commitment, Pooja wrote in Hindi, “My husband was a martyred corona warrior, and succumbed to the pathogen while serving the people of Delhi. I was filled with sorrow and dejection. In that hour of grief, acknowledging the sacrifices made by my husband, you assured me financial help of Rs 1 crore. You announced the same on Twitter and in front of the entire media. That gave me some hope. However, we never received that amount.”
“Some families received help within 10 days then why this discrimination with me? I have a four-year-old son and a four-month-old daughter. I am worried about their future. If a Chief Minister doesn’t fulfil his promises, I might never be able to trust anyone else. Waiting for justice,” added the grief-stricken Pooja, expressing her disappointment in the CM.
AAP Government rejects Police Constable Amit Rana’s file
In January this year, Pooja, Amit Rana’s widow, said that the family was recently informed that Amit’s file had been rejected by the Delhi government because it did not meet their requirements. She added that they had submitted all the necessary documents sought by the government department but were later informed that their file has been rejected on the ground that Amit wasn’t on COVID-19 duty.
Even as almost 200 Covid warriors sacrifice their lives in the line of duty, Kejriwal compensates 3 families
However, now that the kin of Dr Anas Mujahid, a junior resident doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Delhi’s GTB hospital, and a few others have been provided with the financial assistance of Rs one crore from Arvind Kejriwal, Pooja, who has been awaiting compensation for more than a year now, questioned the discrimination meted out to her family.
Interestingly, though more than 100 doctors and 92 teachers have died in Delhi this year, the Delhi government has compensated only a select few families of Covid warriors who died performing various COVID-19 duties.
On May 23, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met the father of Dr Anas Mujahid and handed him over a cheque of Rs 1 crore. While speaking to Mujahid’s father Kejriwal said, “Many Covid warriors like Dr Anas are on the frontline helping the people of Delhi and it is because of them that we are able to save lives and the Delhi government is able to fight the pandemic.
How during the first wave, Arvind Kejriwal rejected claims of 12 cops
While Kejriwal has been going around town acknowledging the sacrifices made by COVID warriors and promising to provide financial aid to the kins of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, it was reported how in December 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, the Delhi government had rejected claims filed by 12 out of 15 families of police personnel who died of coronavirus while on duty.
As per reports, as many as 31 police officers in Delhi have lost their lives due to coronavirus during the first wave. Of these, 15 were on coronavirus duty when they were on duty. Of these 15, 12 claims are rejected while 3 are pending with Delhi government.
