New Delhi: The armed forces does not differentiate soldiers who joined prior to or after the implementation of the Agnipath scheme when it comes to benefits and protocols, the Indian Army said, seeking to clear “misunderstanding and misrepresentation” of facts related to the death of an Agniveer.
Amritpal Singh died by suicide by shooting himself while on sentry duty, it said in a statement Sunday night, adding that military funeral in such cases is not accorded.
The mortal remains were transported under Army arrangements along with an escort party to the native place for the last rites after conduct of medico-legal procedures, it asserted.
Unfortunate Death of Agniveer Amritpal Singh on 11 Oct 2023.
There has been some misunderstanding and misrepresentation of facts related to unfortunate death of Agniveer Amritpal Singh.
Further to the initial information given out by White Knight Corps on 14 Oct 2023,… pic.twitter.com/6rhaOu3hN8
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) October 15, 2023
The second statement from the Army came after questions were being raised over Singh’s cremation without Guard of Honour.
On October 14, the Army’s Nagrota-headquartered White Knight Corps had said that Singh had died of a self-inflicted gunshot injury on October 11. It had added that a Court of Inquiry is working to ascertain more details.
“There has been some misunderstanding and misrepresentation of facts related to unfortunate death of Agniveer Amritpal Singh,” the Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information said.
“Armed Forces do not differentiate between the soldiers who joined prior to or after implementation of the Agnipath Scheme as regards entitled benefits and protocols,” it said.
Due respect along with deep and enduring empathy with the family is accorded in the cases of death arising out of suicide/self-inflicted injury, irrespective of the type of entry, the statement said. “Such cases, however, are not entitled Military Funerals as per the extant Army Order of 1967, in vogue. Policy on the subject has been consistently followed ever since, without any discrimination.”
“As per data held, there has been an average yearly loss ranging between 100-140 soldiers since 2001 where deaths occurred due to suicides/self-inflicted injuries, and Military Funeral in such cases was not accorded,” it said.
The disbursement of financial assistance/relief is given due priority including immediate financial relief for conduct of funerals, the Army said.
“Such unfortunate instances of loss bear heavy on the family and the Forces as a fraternity. During such times, it is important and incumbent on the society to uphold the respect, privacy and dignity of the family while empathising with them in their moment of grief,” it asserted.
The statement came after claims that Singh was “martyred” at the Line of Control (LoC) and that there were no Army officers present at the funeral and that no guard of honour was given.
Similarly, several social media users had claimed that on request of the villagers in Mansa district of Punjab, the local police accorded a guard of honour to Singh.
Even some veterans shared similar claims, suggesting that this treatment to Agniveers was predicted since they are not being treated as soldiers. Senior leaders, including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, had also taken up the issue.
On Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reached the home of Singh and met the bereaved family. He handed a cheque of Rs 1 crore to Singh’s family and assured a government job to one of the family members.
ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਅਗਨੀਵੀਰ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੇ ਘਰ ਕੋਟਲੀ ਕਲਾਂ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਕੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਦੁੱਖ ਵੰਡਾਇਆ ਤੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਜਵਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ਰਧਾਂਜਲੀ ਭੇਂਟ ਕੀਤੀ…ਬੜੇ ਦੁੱਖ ਦੀ ਗੱਲ ਹੈ ਫੌਜ ਦੀ ਵਰਦੀ ਪਵਾ ਕੇ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਜਵਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਨੀ ਮੰਨ ਰਹੀ…ਪਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਮਾਣਮੱਤੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਵਿਤਕਰਾ ਨੀ… pic.twitter.com/iVtq3eMSvO
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 16, 2023
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Agniveer died by ‘self-inflicted gunshot injury’, says Army amid backlash over no guard of honour