A Martyr's Tale

A respectful salute to Baijnath Kapil

Baijnath Kapil had been the District President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Shahdara (Delhi) for many years and gained the reputation of a large hearted social worker. When Emergency was imposed he did not hesitate to come out in open to oppose the move. On June 29,1975 he was arrested by the Police under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act). His health suffered a major setback during his six months' detention. His condition turned from bad to worse but the jail authorities did not care to provide him proper medical treatment.

On February 1, 1976 he had a heart attack. It demanded an emergency medical treatment and supervision but the doctor did not come on time. After much delay, he was rushed to the Pant Hospital. There also he was not afforded proper treatment he was entitled too as a political detenue. As a result of sheer neglect at the hands of the then authorities on February 6, 1976 he died.

Unfortunately, his close relatives were not allowed to see him in the Hospital when his condition was critical. What was more unfortunate was that even when he was on deathbed Poilcemen kept surrounding Kapilji. The dead body was handed over to the family of Kapilji after a long wait and agony for one day. When his body was taken to cremation ground many plain clothed detectives were present in his shav- yatra to keep an eye on the procession. Although the atmosphere those days was charged with terror and oppression, yet thousands of people joined his antim-yatra to pay their last respects. The Constitutional Emergency imposed by Smt. Gandhi in 1975 was a move to usurp power through dictatorship. She did not hesitate to put anyone behind the bars who had the guts to oppose her or her Congress party. The spirit of democracy was gagged and it prompted freedom lovers to stand up and register their protest. Baijnath Kapil was one of those and even laid his life for the cause of democracy and freedom. We offer our respectful salute to martyrs like Kapilji.