I remember about my return journey from Jammu to Delhi in September 1999, after a visit to Vaishnodevi. A soldier of the JAT Regiment was going back home (Mathura) after fighting in Kargil. He was hit a by a bullet in the thigh and was in hospital for a few months. He told me that during the fight he thought he was never going to see his family again, as bullets were flying from every direction and he was saved by a rock. What surprised me that he was not having a confirmed ticket and he never begged for a place to sit. In early morning I told him that he can occupy and sleep in my birth till Mathura. Even today, I wonder how can the Govt. cannot even provide a confirmed ticket to a soldier who fought in Kargil? The story is still the same in Jammu today. Hundreds of soldiers going home travel without a confirmed ticket. Can Lalu Yadav provide 2-3 separate bogies for soldiers going home in every train and that they should be given preferential treatment for reservations? Readers are also requested to give their opinions.
