Why Martyr Capt Anshuman Singh's Parents Challenged 'Next Of Kin' Criteria

The parents of martyred Indian Army medical officer Captain Anshuman Singh have demanded changes in the 'Next of Kin' criteria for financial assistance given to the family members in case of a soldier’s death. Captain Singh had lost his life rescuing comrades from a fire in Siachen in July 2023. His parents, Ravi Pratap and mother Manju Singh reportedly want the Next of Kin (NOK) changed as their daughter-in-law, Smriti Singh, lives separately and she has changed her address in office records while receiving most entitlements after their son’s death.

Change In NOK

For the unversed, Indian Army rules state that when a person joins forces, their parents' or guardians’ names are recorded as NOK. When that cadet or officer gets married, the name of the person’s spouse is recorded as the person’s NOK instead of the parents. 

Capt Singh's parents told the media “The criteria set to NOK is not correct. I have spoken to the defence minister about this. Anshuman’s wife doesn’t live with us now, the marriage was just five months old and there is no child. Though we are the co-recipient of Kirti Chakra, we now just have a photo of our son hanging on the wall with a garland on it. We can’t place the Kriti Chakra on his photo as his wife took it away."

Wife, Smriti Singh, Accepts Kirti Chakra 

Smriti Singh, the wife of martyr Captain Anshuman Singh, and his mother, Manju Singh, accepted the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, on July 6. "He would tell me, 'I would die with the brass on my chest. I would not die an ordinary death,'" Smriti recalled, as she held back tears. In a video posted by the Indian Ministry of Defence, Singh honoured her late husband's sacrifice and recalled their memories together.

Smriti Singh's voice trembled as she shared the story of meeting Captain Anshuman Singh for the first time. "We met on the first day of our engineering college. Not to be dramatic but it was love at first sight. He was then selected for the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC)," she said.

However, this meant that they would have to stay away from each other for a long time. "It was a long-distance relationship for eight long years and then we thought we should get married now so we did. Unfortunately, within two months of marriage, he got posted to Siachen," Smriti stated.

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"On July 18, we had a long conversation about how our life would be in the next 50 years— we would build a house and have kids. Then, on the morning of the 19th, I got a call that he was no more. For the first 7-8 hours, we could not accept that anything like this could have happened. To date, I am trying to cope," she expressed.

Wiping tears off her cheeks, she continued, "I keep thinking maybe it is not true. However, 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 families could be saved."

Captain Anshuman Singh and Smriti Singh got married in February 2023 after he graduated from AFMC. Captain Singh was cremated with full state honours in Bhagalpur in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district on July 22, 2023.

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