In a clear reflection of the Modi regime’s disregard for the welfare of Indian armed forces personnel, a soldier who was shot by a fellow troop has been denied the “war injury element” of his pension.  According to Kashmir Media Service, the order, passed by the occupied Jammu and Kashmir High Court on March 12, upheld a 2023 decision by the Srinagar bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal that had rejected the claim of former naik Raghbir Singh.

The court observed that Singh, who was stationed at Rupa Post in the Kupwara district when he was shot on June 14, 1990, did not sustain the injury “in any action against enemy forces” or while repelling attacks, and that there was no direct connection between his operational duties and the fratricidal gunshot wound.  Singh, who served in the Punjab Regiment from 1977, was shot on June 14, 1990, at Rupa Post from a weapon of a colleague. He was discharged in 1994 with a disability pension assessed at 50 percent for life.

In 2021, Singh petitioned for the higher “war injury element” of pension, arguing that his injury occurred in the operational area of Operation Rakshak.  The court dismissed the plea, stating that “accidental injuries or deaths which are not in any way connected with operational duties cannot be said to be war casualties or war injuries.” It further emphasized that even assuming Rupa Post fell within a notified operational area, there must be a direct and causal link between the injury and operational action—something Singh’s case lacked. 

Rights observers say the ruling exposes the Modi regime’s bureaucratic callousness toward soldiers who risk their lives in conflict zones, where even injuries sustained on duty are undervalued unless they occur in direct combat. The denial of the “war injury element” to Singh reflects a pattern of indifference toward veterans, highlighting the systemic neglect and rigid application of regulations at the cost of those who have served in India’s most sensitive military regions.  

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)