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| Captain Anshuman Singh's widow spoke about the last conversation she had with her husband before the fateful day. |
New Dehli, (REPORTLINE) - A teary-eyed Smriti Singh accepted the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award, posthumously awarded to her husband, Captain Anshuman Singh, who died in the line of duty in July 2023. The award was conferred by President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Friday.
Recalling their last conversation, Smriti said, "We had a long conversation on July 18 about how our life will be in the next 50 years - we're going to build a house, we're going to have kids. On July 19 morning, I get a call that he is no more."
The couple's love story began on their first day of college. "It was love at first sight," Smriti reminisced. Despite Anshuman's selection into the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) a month later, their long-distance relationship endured for eight years before they married in February 2023.
Captain Singh displayed exceptional bravery during a major fire incident at an Indian Army ammunition dump in Siachen in July 2023. Disregarding his own safety, he rescued fellow soldiers trapped in a fiber-glass hut. While attempting to recover life-saving medicines from a nearby medical investigation shelter, he sustained severe burns and succumbed to his injuries.
"He is a hero," Smriti said, her voice filled with emotion. "We can manage a little of our lives because he has managed a lot. He gave up his life and family so that the other three army families could be saved."
The Kirti Chakra serves as a poignant reminder of Captain Anshuman Singh's sacrifice and bravery, honoring his memory and the profound impact he made in service to his country.
