The National Commission for Women (NCW) wrote to the Delhi Police after receiving a complaint about lewd comments made on a picture of Smriti Singh, the widow of Kirti Chakra recipient Captain Anshuman Singh. Following this, the Delhi Police registered an FIR regarding the derogatory comments on social media.
The FIR was lodged under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which pertains to acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and Section 67 of the IT Act, which deals with the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material electronically. The NCW, upon receiving the complaint, demanded the arrest of the individual responsible and requested a report from the police within three days.
Captain Anshuman Singh, who was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, died in a fire accident in July the previous year while serving as a medical officer in the Siachen Glacier area. He saved fellow Army officers but succumbed to severe burns and injuries. The award was accepted by Smriti Singh and her mother-in-law Manju Singh during an investiture ceremony on July 5, conferred by President Droupadi Murmu.
Ravi Pratap Singh, Captain Singh's father, mentioned that Smriti took the gallantry award, along with his photo album, clothes, and other memories, to her home in Gurdaspur, Punjab. He also called for changes to the 'next of kin' law, which determines inheritance and entitlements for soldiers who die without a will.
