Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha has expressed shock over the way martyred Agniveer soldier Amritpal Singh's body was brought to his home in Punjab. Chadha said that no unit of force was there when the body of the soldier was brought into the village and only one army havaldar and two soldiers in civil dress were there. He said that the body was brought in a private ambulance and no government vehicle was allotted for the same.
An Agniveer soldier, Sepoy Amritpal Singh, succumbed to a gunshot wound along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir while on sentry duty in the Mankote area near the LoC on October 11. The Indian Army issued a statement regarding this incident. According to the statement, Sepoy Amritpal Singh suffered a self-inflicted gunshot injury while on sentry duty in the Rajouri Sector. A Court of Inquiry has been set in motion to ascertain further details, it stated.
The mortal remains of the deceased soldier were transported, accompanied by one Junior Commissioned Officer and four Other Ranks. The Agniveer unit organised the transport using a Civil Ambulance, with Army personnel attending the final rites.
Now, criticising the Centre's Agniveer scheme, he said that the soldier was not given a guard of honor during his last rites and now his family will also not receive a pension as there's no provision for the same in it.
"When the body of martyred Agniveer Amritpal Singh was brought to his village Kotli Kalan in Punjab, no unit of force was accompanying him. He was brought here in a private ambulance and the most shocking thing is the fact that a guard of honour was not given during the last rites ceremony," he said.
The AAP MP said that Amritpal Singh will also not get the title of a martyr as the same is not part of the Agniveer scheme.
However, in its statement, the Army said, "The cause of death being a self-inflicted injury, no guard of honour or military funeral was provided, in accordance with the existing policy."
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated that his government would protest this matter with the Union government. He also confirmed that the state would honour the soldier's sacrifice by providing a compensation of Rs 1 crore to Singh's family in accordance with the state policy.
"Whatever may be the policy of the army regarding the martyrdom of Shaheed Amritpal Singh, but the policy of the Punjab government will remain the same as for every martyr.. Shaheed Amritpal Singh is a martyr of the country. Strong objection will also be raised with the Central Govt," he stated.