22 years on, promises unmet: UP martyr's mother offers to return Shaurya Chakra

Twenty-two years after her son, Shaurya Chakra awardee and former Assistant Commandant Vivek Saxena, was killed fighting terrorists in Manipur, his 80-year-old mother says she is ready to give back the medals and monetary honours awarded in his name. Her decision comes after years of frustration over a promised land allotment and other benefits, which she says have forced her to make repeated trips to government offices without any resolution.Savitri Saxena, accompanied by her elder son Ranjit, raised the issue at a grievance redressal event in Lucknow, alleging that the family had faced prolonged delays and insensitive treatment from officials while pursuing the benefits promised after Vivek's martyrdom.According to Ranjit, the government had promised the family a memorial park and land under the rural quota following Vivek's death on January 8, 2003. More than two decades later, the family says the promises remain unfulfilled.In 2016, then Lucknow District Magistrate Raj Shekhar took cognisance of the matter, accepted applications for different departments and directed the Additional District Magistrate to conduct an inquiry within 15 days and initiate the process for the memorial and land allotment. The process for allotting land began in 2016, but the family was subsequently asked to establish its domicile in Uttar Pradesh, Ranjit said."We grew up here, studied here, and my brother's memento is at Air Force Station Memora. Yet we were asked to submit an affidavit stating where our mother lived before her marriage," Ranjit told India Today TV. The family submitted the affidavit, but officials subsequently questioned whether they were original residents of Uttar Pradesh and told them that the benefits could not be provided, he alleged.Ranjit later found an old receipt showing that a cheque of Rs 75,000 had been issued by the Uttar Pradesh government to the family at the same address. The document, he said, raised questions over why the family was being asked to establish its domicile when government funds had earlier been disbursed to them at that address.The family also had to wait until 2024 to receive the monetary award associated with the Shaurya Chakra, Ranjit said. He alleged that the file remained stuck for months as it was moved from one desk to another, with officials reluctant to undertake the verification.Savitri Devi said she no longer had the strength, at the age of 80, to keep visiting government offices.Her son Vivek was killed in action while fighting terrorists in Manipur on January 8, 2003. He was subsequently honoured with the Shaurya Chakra and President's Police Medal.The elderly mother has now sought an appointment with the President and the Chief Minister. She has appealed to the government to take back the Shaurya Chakra, medals and honour money if the family has to face humiliation even 21 years after her son's martyrdom over the allotment of a piece of land.Following the complaint, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate directed officials to investigate the grievances and ensure their resolution within a week.- Ends(With inputs from Ankit Mishra in Lucknow)Published On: Sep 7, 2026 08:33 IST