Agniveer Ajay Kumar's father Charanjit Singh said on Thursday that the family has got around Rs 98 lakh as compensation from the Indian Army. Singh explained that they received Rs 50 lakh from insurance and from the Army, the family got Rs 48 lakh.
His clarification came almost a day after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi showed a video featuring Singh. In this video, Singh can be heard saying that he didn't get any compensation from the Indian Army or the central government.
Gandhi also accused Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of lying about the Rs 98 lakh compensation paid to Ajay Kumar's family. "So far, we have received Rs 98 lakh, and we are sure that the pending Rs 67 lakh will also be sent to us by the Army," he told India Today TV.
He furthermore claimed that monetary compensation was not an issue and that he wants the status of a martyr for his son. "It is not about money. We want martyr status for my son. He laid down his life for the nation, and till now, neither he has been given martyr status nor any facilities that a martyr's family receives," he said.
He also mentioned that they would not get a pension or any medical benefits on par of the family of an Army officer. Notably, Singh's statement came after the Indian Army mentioned that Agniveer Ajay Kumar's last rites were carried out with full military honours.
"The last rites were carried out with full military honours... It is re-emphasised that emoluments due to a fallen hero are paid expeditiously to the Next of Kin of departed soldiers, including Agniveers," the military said in its statement. It also mentioned that an ex-gratia and other benefits amounting to around Rs 67 lakh will be paid upon on Final Account Settlement shortly after due police verification, taking the total amount to roughly Rs 1.65 crore.
Furthermore, Singh backed Rahul Gandhi for raising their issue in the Parliament, adding that he agreed with the Rae Bareli MP on scrapping the Agnipath scheme.
He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure regular recruitment is done in the Army. The young Agniveer's sister also questioned the scheme and said, "What's the point of a four-year job? Can't they recruit people for longer?"
(With inputs from Aseem Bassi)