Fallen soldiers not 'martyrs'

NEW DELHI: The government does not declare any of the security force personnel who die in action as "martyr", the Lok Sabha was told on Tuesday. "The ministry of defence has informed that the word 'martyr' is not used in reference to any of the casualties in Indian armed forces," the minister of state for home, Kiren Rijiju, said. "Similarly, no such term is used in reference to the central armed police forces and Assam Rifles personnel who are killed in action or on any operation," he added.

The minister said that the family or the next of kin of a jawan killed in action is given the full family pension under the liberalised pensionary award rules and a lump sum ex-gratia compensation in addition to other benefits. Rijiju was responding to a question "whether the government has codified the term 'martyrs' for placing the posthumous soldiers in the category of martyrs?"