Madhya Pradesh: Cops' Spouse, Parents To Get Equal Compensation If They Die In Line Of Duty

The MP government has announced that if a police jawan dies in the line of duty, the Rs 1 crore ex-gratia granted to the deceased soldier will be distributed equally between his wife and parents.

MP News: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday announced that if a Madhya Pradesh police jawan dies in the line of duty, the Rs 1 crore ex-gratia given by the government to the deceased soldier will be distributed equally between the deceased's wife and parents.

"We have taken a decision that in the event of a state police jawan getting martyred, then the Rs 1 crore ex-gratia to be paid will be divided between his wife and parents in the ratio of 50:50," a government official said on Friday quoting the Chief Minister, as reported by news agency PTI.

The crucial decision comes in the backdrop of the parents of fallen braveheart Captain Anshuman Singh demanding from the Centre a revision in next of kin (NOK) rules after the late officer's wife reportedly left their home after her husband's death.

Captain Anshuman Singh's Case

Captain Singh died while rescuing people from a major fire in July last year at an Indian Army camp in the Siachen glacier. Earlier this month, he was later posthumously conferred the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award.

Singh’s father has levelled allegations against his daughter-in-law and widow of Anshuman, Smriti Singh, that she is planning to flee the country with the gallantry award and the ex gratia money. 

Speaking to ABP News, Captain Anshuman's father claimed that Smriti duped his son in the name of love. "She didn't love him," he said. On July 7, Smriti and her mother-in-law accepted the second-highest peacetime gallantry award, Kirti Chakra, from President Droupadi Murmu. 

Following the investiture ceremony, Smriti spoke about her personal life, saying her meeting with Captain Anshuman at an engineering college was "love at first sight." The allegation comes just days after the martyred soldier's parents claimed that their daughter-in-law took away the gallantry award along with their son's clothes and photo album with her to her home in Punjab's Gurdaspur.

What Does Army Rules Say?

According to Army rules, when a jawan or officer gets gets married, their spouse’s name is listed as their next of kin rather than parents. In case of a soldier's death in the line of duty, the ex-gratia amount is given to the 'next of kin'.