Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the parents of Captain Anshuman Singh who was martyred in Siachen last year.

Singh’s parents appreciated the Gandhi scion’s gesture and called for ending the controversial Agniveer scheme.

Talking to the media after meeting the Congress leader, Manju Singh, the mother of the martyr, said, “He (Rahul) talked passionately about soldiers and how to better their lives. He told us that he will work to end the Agniveer scheme.”

Agnipath scheme is a tour of duty style scheme approved by the Centre on June 14, 2022 for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. All recruits will be hired only for a four year period.

Personnel recruited under this system are called Agniveers. The introduction of the scheme has been criticized for lack of consultation and public debate.

Manju further said she has been impressed by Gandhi’s speeches and had met him at Rashtrapati Bhavan when she was there to receive the Kirti Chakra awarded posthumously to her son Captain Anshuman Singh.

“I have heard Rahul speaking in Parliament, and wanted to meet him once. So we got an appointment in Rae Bareli,” she said.

“The Agniveer scheme is not right for the army and when we discussed this issue with Gandhi, he promised to put an end to it,” she added.

Captain Anshuman’s father Ravi Pratap Singh said Gandhi came across as a good person and that is why he met him.

“Rahul Gandhi told us that the sacrifice made by martyr Anshuman Singh, the entire country will be indebted to him and the Congress party is proud of my son. He also told us that the Congress stands firmly with my family,” he added.

The Raebareli MP also visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here and inspected the facilities there. He later reached the Kisan Shahid memorial and paid his tributes.

Captain Anshuman Singh was part of the Army Medical Corps’ 26th Battalion of the Punjab Regiment. He was stationed as a medical officer in Siachen during Operation Meghdoot.

On July 19, 2023, during a severe fire accident at the Chandan Dropping Zone in Siachen, Anshuman helped rescue people trapped in the blaze. The fire later spread to the medical investigation centre, and in a heroic act, he went in to save others without caring for his life.