Shocking disrespect: Delhi Police crack down on derogatory comments against hero’s grieving widow

In a significant development, Delhi Police has filed an FIR concerning derogatory remarks targeted at Smriti Singh, the widow of Captain Anshuman Singh, a decorated Kirti Chakra recipient. The legal action was prompted by a complaint from the National Commission for Women (NCW), which acted swiftly upon receiving reports of inappropriate comments made on a Facebook profile picture of Mrs. Singh.

The FIR was lodged under two stringent sections: Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which addresses gestures or acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty, and Section 67 of the IT Act, concerning the publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form. The NCW’s complaint led to an immediate demand for the arrest of the perpetrator and a detailed report within three days.

The backdrop of this incident is both tragic and heroic. Captain Anshuman Singh was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu on July 5, during an investiture ceremony. The award was accepted by Smriti Singh and her mother-in-law, Manju Singh. Captain Singh’s commendable bravery was displayed in July of the previous year when he perished after rescuing fellow officers from a fire at the Siachen Glacier, where he was stationed as a medical officer. Sadly, he succumbed to severe burns and injuries after getting trapped in the blaze that engulfed a medical investigation shelter.

This legal pursuit by Delhi Police underscores the broader challenges faced by the families of India’s martyrs, who not only cope with personal loss but occasionally confront societal disrespect. Earlier, Captain Singh’s father, Ravi Pratap Singh, in an interview with India Today TV, highlighted the ongoing struggles, including the need for reforms in the ‘next of kin’ law that affects inheritance and entitlements in the absence of a will.