The father of Captain Anshuman Singh, who was awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously, has alleged that his daughter-in-law and widow of Anshuman, Smriti Singh is planning to flee from the country with the gallantry award and the ex gratia money.
Speaking to ABP News, Captain Anshuman's father claimed that Smriti duped his son in the name of love. "She didn't love him," he said. On July 7, Smriti and her mother-in-law accepted the second-highest peacetime gallantry award, Kirti Chakra, from President Droupadi Murmu.
Following the investiture ceremony, Smriti spoke about her personal life saying her meeting with Captain Anshuman at an engineering college was "love at first sight".
Captain Ashuman's father also claimed that Smriti was planning to flee with the gallantry award and ex gratia money to Australia.
The allegation comes just days after the martyred soldier's parents claimed that their daughter-in-law took away the gallantry award along with their son's clothes and photo album with her to her home in Punjab's Gurdaspur.
Reports in the media had also suggested that Smriti had changed the permanent address listed in her husband's official documents from Lucknow to Gurdaspur ensuring any communication regarding Singh takes place with her.
Captain Anshuman's father also called for a change in the 'next of kin' law of the Army. This law determines who would inherit assets and receive medical updates if something happens to a person in service. Similar to the concept of a nominee, the NOK rules determine, who gets the ex gratia as well.
When a person joins the Army, their parent's or guardian's names are registered in the NOK. Once married, the spouse's name replaces the parent's name as their next kin.
Recently, a derogatory comment by a social media user against Smriti Singh sparked outrage with the National Commission for Women (NCW) demanding strict action against the individual.
(With inputs from Viresh Pandey)