Amar Jawan Jyoti merged with Eternal Flame at NWM

New Delhi: The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate has been merged with the Eternal Flame at the National War Memorial (NWM), barely 400 metres away. This merger was accompanied by a military ceremony in New Delhi on Friday.

Inaugurated on January 26, 1971, by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. India's victory at the end of this war led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The National War Memorial, on the other hand, was inaugurated on February 25, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The names of as many as 25,942 soldiers have been inscribed on the National War Memorial.

Many, including ex-servicemen and Opposition leaders, criticised the decision to merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti with the Eternal Flame.

Former Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur took to Twitter to respond to the Central government's decision. While tagging PM Modi in a tweet, he wrote: "Sir, the eternal flame at India Gate is part of India's psyche. You, I and our generation grew up saluting our brave jawans there."

"It is a matter of great sadness that the immortal flame for our brave soldiers will be extinguished today. Some people cannot understand patriotism and sacrifice - never mind... We will once again light the 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' for our soldiers," Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

However, the move was also welcomed by many, including a former Lieutenant General. "As someone who had steered the design selection and construction of the NWM, I had been of this view all along that India Gate is a memorial to the fallen heroes of First World War," says former Lt Gen Satish Dua.

Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt General JBS Yadava wrote on Twitter: "There should be no politics on the merger of Amar Jawan Jyoti & National War Memorial. It has become a trend to give a political angle to every initiative done by the Centre".