Officially, martyr is termed as 'battle casualty': VK Singh on terminology row

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Union minister and former Chief of the Army Staff V.K. Singh on Saturday clarified on the controversy over words 'shaheed' or 'martyr' for policemen/soldiers killed in action and said all were martyrs but in the official parlance, it was termed as 'battle casualty'.

Singh's clarification comes a day after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) submitted a report to the Central Information Commission (CIC) seeking the meaning and definition of the word martyr (Shaheed) according to the law and constitution.

"All policemen or soldiers killed in action are martyrs and called so as well, but in the official parlance, we call it 'battle casualty'," the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs told ANI.

The MoD's report comes following an RTI query to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The petitioner sought the meaning and definition of the word martyr according to the law and constitution. The petitioner approached the MHA with his questions over legal provisions to ensure restriction on misuse of martyr word and punishment for the violation of the same. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI