Don't divide Army into two categories: Kirti Chakra awardee's mother after meeting Rahul Gandhi
Raebareli/Lucknow (UP), Jul 10: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met Kirti Chakra recipient Captain Anshuman Singh's mother, who later spoke against the Agnipath scheme and urged the government not to divide the Army into two categories.
Her appeal comes amid Gandhi raising questions on the Agnipath scheme and claiming that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh "lied" in Parliament about the issue of compensation to the families of martyred Agniveers.
"I request the government not to divide the Army into two categories," the late captain's mother Manju Singh told reporters after Gandhi met her at a guesthouse in Raebareli.
The four-year job role is not appropriate as Agniveers who are let go would struggle to find another suitable career, she said while raising apprehension on the Army scheme launched in 2022 for short-term recruitment of jawans.
"They (Agniveers) will be mentally and physically weak after four years after which they would be unable to pursue their studies... this is not good," she added.
Her son was posthumously conferred the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu on July 5 during an investiture ceremony.
Capt Singh died while rescuing people from a major fire in July last year.
While he was returning to Delhi, Gandhi was asked about his meeting with the Army officer's mother. He said he will speak about the matter in Parliament.
Gandhi had called the martyr's family, which resides in Lucknow, to meet them at the guest house.
After meeting the Congress leader, the late captain's mother told reporters that Gandhi assured all possible support to their family.
"Gandhi said that he requested the government to end the Agniveer scheme as it is not appropriate for the Army," she said.
During his Raebareli visit, Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also visited the AIIMS there and met party workers and local residents of his constituency.
After landing at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow, Gandhi left by road for Raebareli, which is about 80 km from the state capital. Party workers and leaders were at the Lucknow airport to give a warm send off to Rahul Gandhi.
On the way to Raebareli, he stopped at Churwa temple near Bachhrawan and paid obeisance to Lord Hanuman.
"Rahul Gandhi worshipped at the Churwa Hanuman temple and prayed to Lord Hanuman for the happiness, peace and prosperity of the country," the Congress party said on X.
Gandhi reached the Bohemian guest house, where he met party workers, delegations including that of Indian Industries Association (IIA) and locals, a local party leader said.
He also visited the martyrs' memorial in Lalganj and laid a wreath there and planted a sapling. He also visited AIIMS-Raebareli.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi won from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat by a margin of more than 3.90 lakh votes.
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Shimla mosque dispute: VHP leaders, ex-councillors among those booked for violent protest
Shimla (PTI): VHP leaders, former councillors and chief of panchayats were among 50 people booked for violence during a protest that was held here last week demanding the demolition of an illegal portion of a mosque in the Sanjauli area, police said on Sunday.
Protesters clashed with security personnel on September 11, breaking barricades and pelting stones as police used water cannons and batons to disperse them. About 10 people, including police and women, were injured.
Call detail records of people who instigated the protest have been gathered and more cases will be registered, the Superintendent of Police of Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told the PTI.
"There is CCTV footage, video and photograph evidence of people carrying stones in their hands that were thrown at officers on duty," the officer said.
The 50 people who police identified and registered eight cases so far include leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), panchayat chiefs and their deputies, former councillors and shopkeepers, besides people from Chopal and Theog, officials said.
The protesters have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 196 (1) (promoting enmity on basis of religion); 196(2) (offence at place of worship); 189 (unlawful assembly); 126(2) (wrongful restraint); 61(2) (criminal conspiracy and assault); 353 (2) (spreading false information on religion); 223 (disobeying orders of public servants; and 132 (assaulting public servant).
"It was a pre-planned protest to disturb the peace. Those who provoked the whole incident on social media have been identified and their act and conduct endorse how they participated in the crime," the SP said.
"In a video, a person was seen standing on a tempo and provoking the people to break the prohibitory order under section 163 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). We did not receive any application seeking permission to protest," he said.
The SP said two police personnel sustained serious injuries, with one on the back and another on the head, and those guilty of it would be dealt with strictly as per the law.
Amid tension in Shimla over the Sanjauli mosque issue, a Muslim welfare committee last Thursday offered to demolish the unauthorised part while members of the community themselves pulled down a wall of a mosque in government land in Mandi.
A delegation of the welfare committee during a representation to Shimla Municipal Commissioner Bhupendra Attri said Muslims living in the locality are permanent residents of Himachal Pradesh and it was taking the step to preserve harmony and brotherhood.
"We have sought permission from the Shimla municipal commissioner to demolish the unauthorised part of the mosque situated in Sanjauli," member of the welfare committee Mufti Mohammad Shafi Kasmi said.
Members of the Dev Bhoomi Sangarh Committee who had given the protest call against the unauthorised construction in the mosque welcomed the move.
"We welcome the move of the Muslim community and would be the first to hug them for taking this initiative in the larger interest," member of the samiti Vijay Sharma had said.
