'Lewd': NCW Urges Delhi Police To Arrest Man Who Posted Offensive Comment For Kirti Chakra Awardee’s Widow

A derogatory comment made by a social media user about Smriti Singh, the widow of Kirti Chakra awardee Captain Anshuman Singh, has sparked outrage, with the NCW demanding strict action.

The National Commission for Women has called for a fair and timely investigation into the matter, and requested that action be taken within three days.

A derogatory comment made by a social media user about Smriti Singh, the widow of Kirti Chakra awardee Captain Anshuman Singh, has sparked outrage, with the National Commission for Women (NCW) demanding strict action against the individual.

The comment was posted on a photo of Captain Singh’s widow taken at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she and her mother-in-law Manju Singh accepted the award on behalf of her late husband last week. 

Captain Singh died last year while attempting to save his colleagues from a fire at an Indian Army camp in the Siachen glacier. He had got married just five months before, after a nearly decade-long relationship with Smriti, who gave a moving account of their romance in a moving video released by the Ministry of Defence last week.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken notice of the comment, and chairperson Rekha Sharma has written a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, urging immediate and appropriate action against the man.

In a post on X, the NCW shared a photo of the letter, which describes the comment – made by one Ahmad K, purportedly from Delhi – as lewd and derogatory.

In the letter, dated July 8, the NCW has referenced specific legal provisions that the comment violates, including Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which penalises actions intended to insult a woman’s modesty, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which deals with the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material electronically.

The letter notes that offences under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, can result in up to three years of imprisonment and fines, while, under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the punishment can extend to five years of jail and fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.

The NCW has requested the Delhi Police to promptly register an FIR against the individual and arrest him as soon as possible.