Parents of Captain Anshuman Singh, who died in a fire incident in Siachen in July 2023, have asked the government to consider changes in the Indian Army’s ‘next of kin’ (NOK) policy. As per the policy, financial assistance is provided to the family members in case of an Army personnel’s death.
According to reports, after a cadet or officer joins the Indian Army, his parents or guardians’ names are then recorded in the NOK but after the cadet or officer gets married, under Army rules, the name of the person’s spouse is recorded as the person’s next of kin instead of the parents.
Singh received the posthumous Kirti Chakra, the country’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
Singh’s parents Ravi Pratap Singh and Manju Singh said their daughter-in-law has left their home and received most of the entitlements following the death of their son.
Ravi Pratap Singh said the only thing he has is the photo of their son.
“The criteria of the NOK is not correct. It should be changed. I have spoken to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the issue,” he told TV9 Bharatvarsh.
“In our case, our daughter-in-law does not stay with us anymore. The marriage lasted for five months and they did not have a child. We only have a photo of our son which is hanging on the wall. We have nothing else,” he said.
The deceased soldier’s wife Smriti Singh and mother Manju Singh recently received the posthumous Kirti Chakra from President Droupadi Murmu.
Ravi Pratap Singh said Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has said he will raise the issue with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“I don’t want parents to suffer like us in future,” Manju Singh told the news channel.
Captain Anshuman Singh was posted with the 26 Punjab as a medical officer in the Siachen Glacier area.
He died in a fire tragedy in Siachen last year.
