Captain Anshuman Singh’s parents, Ravi Pratap and Manju Singh have alleged that they did not even get to touch the Kirti Chakra, which was recently conferred to Singh posthumously, and are seeking changes in the Indian Army’s next of kin (NOK) criteria for financial assistance after their son’s death
Their son died while rescuing people from a fire incident in Siachen last July.
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They claim that their daughter-in-law, Smriti, has taken away their son’s war honors, including the Kirti Chakra, and personal belongings to her home in Gurdaspur, leaving them with only memories and a photo – a mere hanging photo of their son. The couple is demanding justice and a fair distribution of the entitlements among family members, seeking a more equitable share of the benefits.
The deceased Captain’s father said that his daughter-in-law changed the permanent address listed in his son’s official documents from Lucknow to Gurdaspur to ensure that all correspondence concerning his son is directed to her.
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“We married Anshuman with Smriti after his consent. After the wedding, she started staying with my daughter in Noida. On July 19, 2023, when we received information about Anshuman’s death, I called them to Lucknow, and we went to Gorakhpur for his last rites. But after tehravi, (a funeral ritual), she (Smriti) insisted on going back to Gurdaspur,” Ravi Pratap Singh told India Today TV.
‘Couldn’t even touch Kirti Chakra’: Parents of Captain Anshuman Singh
Ravi Pratap Singh alleged that he was unable to even hold the Kirti Chakra, an award presented to his son by the President on July 5. On the other hand, Singh’s mother, Manju, recalled attending the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan with his wife Smriti, saying she was allowed to hold the award once for a photo, but then it was taken back by Smriti.
“When the Kirti Chakra was awarded to Anshuman, his mother and wife went to receive the honour. The President honoured my son’s sacrifice with the Kirti Chakra, but I couldn’t even touch it once,” Ravi Pratap Singh said.
According to Singh, he messaged Smriti and her father about bringing the Kirti Chakra to the unveiling ceremony of a statue dedicated to Captain Anshuman Singh but received no response. Notably, the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, was posthumously bestowed upon Captain Anshuman, who hailed from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh and was presented to his wife Smriti and mother Manju Singh by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan on July 5.
‘Criteria set to NOK not correct’
Captain Anshuman’s father further expressed his disappointment with the criteria set to define “Next of Kin” (NOK), stating that it is not correct.
“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,” Singh told TV9 Bharatvarsh.
“That is why we want the definition of NOK to 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 also mentioned they want the government to revisit the NOK rules so that other parents don’t have to suffer.
What are the NOK rules?
The next of kin (NOK) rules pertain to a person’s closest relatives or legal representatives. According to Army regulations, if something happens to a person in service, the ex-gratia amount is given to the NOK. It is similar to having a nominee in a bank.
When a cadet or officer joins the Army, the names of their parents or guardians are recorded as the NOK. However, when that cadet or officer gets married, Army rules stipulate that the spouse’s name is recorded as the person’s next of kin, replacing the parents.