President APJ Abdul Kalam on October 29, 2002, awarded the nation’s highest peacetime awards — Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra — to families of the eight securitymen who were killed while fighting terrorists during the 2001 Parliament attack. Today, on the attack’s fifth anniversary, the families returned these medals to the Rashtrapati Bhawan and requested them to be kept at the National Museum.

The Indian Express had first reported that these families had decided to return the medals if the government decided against executing Afzal as per a SC judgement by December 13. Today, the families of all eight dead securitymen plus the family of a CPWD gardener and a ANI cameraman — who also died in the attack — handed over the medals to the Rashtrapati Bhawan Director. Five Delhi policemen were posthumously awarded Kirti Chakras in 2002 and two security assistants of Rajya Sabha Secretariat and a CRPF lady constable were awarded India’s highest peacetime gallantry award - Ashok Chakra - by Kalam.

“Keep the medals in the National Museum. If you hang Afzal, we will accept the medals back otherwise the bravery exhibited by the martyrs is being humiliated by government’s deliberations over executing Mohammad Afzal,” said a joint memorandum signed by all 10 families addressed to Kalam. The widow of ASI Nanak Chand, Ganga Devi, was bitter after returning her husband’s Kirti Chakra. “My husband’s death left me jolted but I felt extremely proud when President Kalam gave me a Kirti Chakra for the bravery shown by my husband. But the award is of no use if Afzal’s hanging is waived off,” she said.

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