 "Captain Anshuman Singh served in the Indian Army's 26 Punjab Regiment. The medical officer rescued several of his brothers-in-arms during a fire in Siachen. He died while trying to retrieve life-saving medicine. Moneycontrol")
A few days after their martyred son received India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, Kirti Chakra, the parents of Captain Anshuman Singh called for modifications in the Indian Army’s ’next of kin’ (NOK) policy.
The policy entails providing financial assistance to family members in case of an army personnel’s death.
Captain Singh died in a major fire incident in Siachen in July last year.
‘Criteria for NOK not correct’
In an interview with a news outlet, Ravi Pratap Singh and his wife Manju Singh stated after the demise of their son, his widow Smriti Singh moved out of the house and is currently receiving the majority of the entitlements.
A picture of their son “hanging on the wall” is all that’s left of them, he said.
Speaking to TV9 Bharatvarsh, Singh said, “The criteria set to NOK is not correct. I have also spoken to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about this. Anshuman’s wife doesn’t live with us now, the marriage was just five months old and there is no child. We only have a photo of our son hanging on the wall with a garland on it."
“That is why we want that the definition of NOK be fixed. It should be decided that if the wife of the martyr stays in the family, who has how much dependency,” he added.
Captain Singh’s mother said they want the government to revisit the NOK rules so that other parents don’t have to suffer.
The NOK rules
The term “next of kin” refers to a person’s spouse, closest relatives, family member, or legal guardian.
A person’s parents or guardians are listed as NOK when he enlists in the Army.
According to Army rules, when a cadet or officer gets married, their spouse’s name is listed as their next of kin rather than their parents.
The rules say the ex-gratia amount is given to NOK if something happens to an individual while serving.
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More ShortsCaptain Singh’s death
Captain Singh was stationed in the Siachen Glacier with 26 Punjab as a medical officer.
Around three in the morning on July 19, 2023, an Indian Army ammunition depot caught fire due to a short circuit.
When Captain Singh noticed a fibreglass hut on fire, he moved quickly to save the people within.
He was able to save four or five people, but not before the fire quickly spread to a nearby medical investigation room.
Captain Singh returned to the burning building.
He tried to get out of the fire but was unable to do so, and passed away inside.
On July 22, 2023, he was cremated with full State honours in Bihar’s Bhagalpur.
Kirti Chakra awarded
Posthumously, Captain Singh received the Kirti Chakra, the second-highest gallantry honour in India.
On July 5, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, his mother Manju Singh and wife Smriti accepted the award from President Droupadi Murmu.
With her mother-in-law by her side and a mournful expression on her face, the young wife of the deceased officer recalled her late husband’s remarks while wearing a white saree.
“I would die with a brass on my chest. I would not die an ordinary death,” Captain Singh had said.
The Ministry of Defence spokesperson shared a video on ‘X’ in which Smriti broke down in tears as she talked about their relationship and their marriage.
“So, we met on the first day of college. I don’t want to be dramatic but it was love at first sight. After a month, he got selected into the AFMC (Armed Forces Medical College). We met at an engineering college but then he got selected in a medical college. Super intelligent guy. From then on, after just one month of meeting, it was a long-distance relationship for eight long years,” she recalled.
“Then we decided to get married. Unfortunately, within two months of marriage, he got posted to Siachen. On July 18, we had a long conversation about how our life will be in the next 50 years. We are going to build a house, we are going to have kids, whatnot. On the 19th morning (last year), I got up, and I got a call that he is no more,” Smriti said.
She claimed that up to this point, she has not been able to accept the loss. “For the first seven to eight hours, we could not accept that anything of that sort has happened. Till date, I am not coping. Just trying to figure out thinking maybe it is not true.
“But now that I have the Kirti Chakra in my hand, I realise it is true. But it’s okay, he is a hero. We can manage a little of our lives because he has managed a lot. He gave up his life and family so that the other three army families could be saved,” she said.
With inputs from agencies