Row over 'shaheed' or 'martyr': Here's what former Gen VK Singh says

MoD has said in its reply to CIC that there is no term as "martyr" or "shaheed" in the Army or the police lexicon.

New Delhi: VK Singh, Union Minister and former Chief of the Army Staff, on Saturday assuage a controversy over the use of words like 'martyr' or 'shaheed' in Army or police's lexicon.

Referring to it, Gen Singh said, ''All are martyrs and called so as well, but in the official system, we call it 'battle casualty.''

All are martyrs and called so as well, but in the official system, we call it 'battle casualty': VK Singh, Union Minister and former Chief of the Army Staff on controversy over words 'Shahid' or 'Martyr' for policemen/soldiers killed in action pic.twitter.com/kCL7K8t7ux — ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2017

The clarification from the former Chief of Army Staff came after the ministries of defence and home made a submission to the Central Information Commission that there is no term as "martyr" or "shaheed" in the Army or the police.

A soldier or a policeman killed in action is called a "battle casualty" or "operations casualty" respectively, the ministries of defence and home submitted before the Central Information Commission.

The submission was made after an RTI applicant approached the Union Home Ministry seeking to know the meaning and detailed definition of word "shaheed" (martyr) according to the law and the Constitution.

He also asked about the legal provisions to ensure restriction on its misuse and punishment for violation.

The application was transferred to different officials of the home and defence ministries but when the applicant could not get a satisfactory response, he approached the CIC, the highest appellate body in matters relating to the Right to Information Act.

The respondents from the ministries of defence and the home affairs were present and heard, Information Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad said.

"The respondent from the Ministry of Defence stated that word 'shaheed' or 'martyr' is not used by the MoD. Instead, the one used is 'battle casualty'. The respondent from the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that in the MHA the word used is 'operations casualty'," Azad said.

Quoting the submissions, he noted that the decision to declare cases of 'battle casualty' and 'ops' was taken after a report of a Court of Inquiry in both the matters.

"After hearing the respondents and the perusal of the record, the commission finds that the averments made by both the respondents have duly explained the correct usage of the terms and directs the respondents to send a revised reply to the appellant accordingly," he said. 

However, a bitter controversy erupted over a 'martyr' or 'shaheed' being officially referred to as
a 'battle casualty' or 'operations casualty.'