Delhi Police files FIR against social media user for 'lewd' comment on Captain Anshuman Singh's widow

The Delhi Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a social media user for making "lewd and derogatory" remarks online about Smriti Singh, the widow of Kirti Chakra awardee (posthumous) Captain Anshuman Singh.

This action follows a complaint filed by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday. The NCW took suo motu cognizance of the matter after reports of the offensive comment surfaced.

According to a police officer, the FIR has been lodged against a resident of Delhi under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act. The specific sections include:

• Section 79 of the IPC: (word/gesture/act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the BNS.
• Section 67 of the IT Act: This section deals with the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

“The man's comment contravenes Section 79 of the BNS, 2023, and Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000. NCW condemns this behaviour and urges immediate action,” NCW said on X (formerly Twitter).

Further investigation is ongoing.

In July of last year, Dr. Anshuman Singh, an on-duty Captain, was killed in a fire at an Indian Army ammunition dump. He was serving as a medical officer with the 26 Punjab in the Siachen Glacier area at the time.

The officer bravely rescued several people and proceeded to enter a burning medical room to retrieve a critical medical aid box. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, he was unable to make it out due to the intense blaze and strong winds.

Captain Anshuman Singh was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, for his bravery. His widow, Smriti Singh, and his mother, Manju Singh, accepted the award from President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 5.