New Delhi: The Indian Army on Sunday said that Agniveer Amritpal Singh, who lost his life in Jammu and Kashmir on October 11, committed suicide by shooting himself while on sentry duty. The statement came amid a row over not giving a guard of honour during his last rites.
The Army, in a statement, said since Singh's cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot injury, such cases are not entitled to Military Funerals as per the extant Army Order of 1967, in vogue.
"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," the Army said in an X post.
"Unfortunate instances of death arising out of suicide/ self inflicted injury, irrespective of the type of entry, are accorded due respect by the Armed Forces along with deep and enduring empathy with the family. 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," it added.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that Agniveer Amritpal Singh should be considered a martyr, asserting that the Army considers only those martyrs who lost their lives during combat and not those who died during patrolling in snow and or in a storm.
He also said that the state will honour the soldier's sacrifice by providing a compensation of Rs 1 crore to Singh's family
"The army considers only those martyrs who lost their lives during combat. If some of our soldiers are patrolling in snow and lose their lives during a storm, then they are not considered martyrs... They were there on the patrol for the country... The Punjab government has made a policy of Rs. 1 Crore ex gratia. Even if someone dies of a heart attack at -40 degrees, he should be considered a martyr because he was there serving the nation. It is not necessary that he should lose his life in a bullet from the enemy... We oppose the Agniveer scheme too for this," he told ANI.
"The way the army treated Amritpal- his body was sent to the family in an ambulance. Army said that he cannot be given a guard of honour according to the protocol, " he added.
On Saturday, the Army issued a statement, explaining that Amritpal Singh lost his life while on sentry duty in the Rajouri Sector due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A court of inquiry is underway to determine further details.
The mortal remains of Singh were transported in a civilian ambulance, hired by the Agniveer unit, along with a junior commissioned officer and four other ranks. The Army emphasised that due to the self-inflicted nature of the injury, no guard of honour or military funeral was provided, in accordance with established policy.
He was laid to rest on Friday in his native village in Punjab's Mansa district.