Veterans, war widows seek legal help amid property disputes and pension delays

Hyderabad: They once stood tall on the front lines but today, in their twilight years, many of India’s war heroes and their families find themselves abandoned, within the walls of their own homes.In a heart-wrenching case, a 76-year-old widow of a Veer Chakra awardee—once the proud wife of a 1971 war hero—is today pleading for a right that should never have been taken from her: The right to live peacefully in her own home. The tenant of a flat she inherited from her parents refuses to vacate, despite the lease expiring in Nov 2024. Her repeated requests have been ignored. Once celebrated for her husband’s sacrifice, she now waits in silence.Not far away, an 81-year-old retired lieutenant colonel—decorated for his valour in the 1965 and 1971 wars—faces indignity of another kind. In a cruel twist, the resident welfare association of his neighbourhood, comprised of fellow veterans, allegedly cut off his water connection. For two decades now, this soldier who once faced enemy fire survives on borewell and packaged water.

These stories surfaced at the NALSA Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025, a legal aid outreach for ex-servicemen and their families.

Thirteen others—widows, retired soldiers, and their kin—poured out their anguish. Among them was a 65-year-old woman from Alwal, second wife of a late lance naik. For 14 years she has been denied her widow’s pension, even though the soldier’s first wife had remarried and started another family. “She got the pension until her death. I got nothing,” she said.A retired havildar from Vikarabad fights land grabbers who forged documents to seize his land, despite his lawful ownership and support from government schemes.

In Tellapur, on Hyderabad’s outskirts, two Navy veterans watch helplessly as a real estate company repeatedly demolishes boundary walls around their plots. “We can’t even access our land anymore,” one of them said.Regional sainik welfare officer N Sreenesh Kumar, panel advocate K Murali Mohan, and placement officer Captain R Srinivasulu attended to the grievances, offering legal guidance and hope. “They were informed of their rights and the steps needed for swift redressal,” said Mohan.To ensure veterans and their families need not travel long distances for justice, officials announced plans to set up similar legal aid desks at all district-level sainik welfare offices across the state.GFX: The Legal Aid clinic will function on first and fouth Saturday every month at Regional Sainik Welfare Office, Sainik Aramghar, Somajiguda. NALSA Toll Free No for assistance 15100