Late Captain Anshuman Singh’s parents demand change in army’s ‘Next of Kin’ policy

LUCKNOW: Hinting at a conflict in the family, the parents of late Captain Anshuman Singh, the Kriti Chakra winner who lost his life during a fire incident in Siachen in July last year, on Friday demanded the government to make changes in the definition of Indian Army’s ‘Next of Kin’ (NoK) provision.

The parents – Ravi Pratap Singh and Manju Singh—claimed that their daughter-in-law Smriti left their home with the Kirti Chakra, the prestigious gallantry award posthumously bestowed upon their son, and his other personal belongings, including a cherished photo album.

Speaking to media persons in Deoria, their native place, Ravi Pratap Singh demanded the Government of India to make changes in the definition of ‘Next of Kin’ (NoK) provision in the Indian Army, so that the possessions of the late officers could be handed over to the parents in case the daughter-in-law decides to leave her late husband’s family.

Pratap Singh alleged that Smriti Singh got the official address changed in her late husband’s documents from Lucknow to Gurdaspur (where she lives with her parents) so that she could correspond with the authorities directly, monopolising all communication regarding the late officer.

“On July 19, 2023, when we received information about Anshuman’s death, I called her to Lucknow, and we went to Gorakhpur for his last rites. But after Tehravi (13-day mourning period), Smriti insisted on going back to Gurdaspur,” Pratap Singh said adding that the couple used to live away from his home post marriage.

At the time of marriage, Smriti Singh was doing a job at ICICI Lombard, which she quit shortly after. Now she lives with her parents in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

Speaking of the event at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan on July 5, Manju Singh said, “When we were leaving the event, upon the insistence of Army officers, I held the Kirti Chakra for a photo once. But after that, Smriti took away the Kirti Chakra from my hands. I could just touch it for once and my husband could take just a glimpse of it during the photo session in Rashtrapati Bhawan. That is all.”

The parents had met with the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, during his day-long visit to Raebareli and had urged him to raise the issue before the government.

The distraught parents said that they wanted the Kirti Chakra to decorate the bust of the late Captain Anshuman Singh before it is taken away to be installed in Lucknow.

Captain Anshuman Singh, hailing from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, was conferred with the Kirti Chakra posthumously for sacrificing his life to selflessly rescue his fellow mates during a fire accident at the Siachen Glacier on July 19, 2023.