It's very unfortunate when any citizen of a nation has to resort to social media to be heard. Disillusioned and frustrated with the system to an extent that they'd rather rely on strangers to get justice.

A recent appeal by an Army widow to UP CM Yogi Adityanath underscored how the authorities can sometimes hold the basic rights to ransom. "Do you want me to stay on roads?" questions Mrs Manoj, wife of Colonel Ranjan Manoj, a paratrooper, who died on 10th July 2020.

yogi adityanath

In the video appeal, she goes on to furnish details of her house and the alleged illegal occupation by transport department for the last 20 years. "We have a house in Lucknow at Kesar Bagh, which is illegally occupied by transport department for the last twenty years. When my husband was there, he kept fighting to get the house vacated. But unfortunately, today he is not there."

Her husband's last posting was at Allahabad, where he conducted the Kumbh Mela. Despite help from Army family and officers, the situation hasn't changed. "Even after his death, Army gave him lot of respect. They have made a parade ground by his name, as well his bust near Sangam in Allahabad. My army family from has been trying to help and kept pressurising the transport department to get the house vacated. It's been a year now, still they haven't moved out."

Unfortunately, stories of Army widows running from pillar to post to aren't rare. "Today, I don't have a house to stay. Despite a court order to get the house vacated, they are still not ready to move out. This is the way, you and Government treats the army widows. Do you want me to stay on roads? That's my own house." She adds, "Will the Army widows be deprived of their rights; the way I have been deprived? The DM says he is helpless; I feel the DM is running the government in UP." She finally closes her appeal with a request for the CM of the state, to take some time out and meet her and discuss the issue.

Netizens join in to amplify her appeal

"Appealing Yogi Adityanath through social media that a widow is being harassed by Uttar Pradesh transport department by illegal occupation of her late husband's house," posted a user Rohit Agarwal.

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