The mother of Kirti Chakra awardee Captain Anshuman Singh has made an emotional plea to the government to end the Agniveer scheme for temporary Army recruits.
“With folded hands, I request the government to stop the Agniveer scheme. Four years is not enough, and it is not right. Soldiers should continue to receive pensions, canteen facilities, and all other benefits,” said Manju Singh in Rae Bareli, after meeting Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and local MP.
On July 5, President Droupadi Murmu posthumously awarded Captain Anshuman Singh of the Army Medical Corps, 26th Battalion, Punjab Regiment, the Kirti Chakra. Captain Singh tragically died from burn injuries sustained while retrieving medicines from a medical facility near an ammunition dump that caught fire due to a short circuit in Siachen on the night of July 18-19. He also saved several individuals trapped in a fiberglass hut near the dump before turning his attention to the medical facility.
After the defense investiture ceremony, the Ministry of Defence released a video featuring Smriti Singh, Anshuman’s widow. The couple had maintained a long-distance relationship for eight years before marrying in February last year.
The night of the fire was the last time Smriti spoke to her husband, who was posted to Siachen only a few months after their marriage. Captain Singh was a graduate of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and his first posting was in Siachen as part of Operation Meghdoot.
“Unfortunately, within two months of marriage, he was posted to Siachen. On July 18, we had a long conversation about our future – building a house, having kids,” Smriti recounted. The next morning, she learned of his death.
“We met Rahul Gandhi during the investiture ceremony. As the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi was also present. Since he was in Rae Bareli and we live in Lucknow, we thought of meeting him. I have lost my young son. Rahul Gandhi too has lost his grandmother and father. He can empathize,” said Ravi Pratap Singh, Captain Singh’s father.
Manju Singh mentioned that most of the discussion was about the Army and the Agnipath scheme. “Rahul is right. There cannot be two types of soldiers. The government should listen to what he has said,” she stated.
In his July 1 speech in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Narendra Modi government’s Agnipath scheme, calling it a “use and throw scheme.” His remarks sparked significant controversy, including a response from Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Referring to Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who was killed in a landmine explosion on January 18 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Naushera, Rahul Gandhi claimed the government had not compensated the fallen soldier’s family. The government refuted this, with the defense minister asserting that Rs 1 crore was paid as compensation. The family, however, claimed that while the Punjab government had provided some assistance, none came from the Centre.
The Indian Army, stated that Rs. 98.39 lakh had already been paid to the family. The statement did not break down the compensation, and commentators noted that around Rs. 48 lakh was part of an insurance entitlement rather than compensation.
