Agniveer Gawate Akshay Laxman — deployed at the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield — has become the first Agniveer to be killed in the line of duty since the Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of soldiers was introduced.
“Quartered in snow silent to remain, when the bugle calls they shall rise and march again. All ranks of Fire and Fury Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of Agniveer (Operator) Gawate Akshay Laxman, in the line of duty, in the unforgiving heights of Siachen and offer deepest condolences to the family,” the Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
The report of his death led to sharp criticism on social media from the veterans community, who pointed out the disparity between Agniveers and regular soldiers, whose families are entitled to pensions and other benefits if they die while on duty.
Disparity in benefits
As per the terms of engagement of Agniveers, in case of demise as a battle casualty, the next of kin receive ₹48 lakh non-contributory insurance, an ex-gratia of ₹44 lakh, and the 30% of his salary contributed by the Agniveer to the Seva Nidhi scheme, with equal matching contribution by the government, plus interest. In addition, they will also get the balance pay owed from the date of death till the completion of their four years’ tenure (in this case, that amounts to more than ₹13 lakh), and a contribution of ₹8 lakh from the Armed Forces Battle Casualty Fund, Army sources said.
Legal expert Major Navdeep Singh (Retd) pointed out the grave anomaly in the death and disability benefits of Agniveers, urging the government to look into it. “Ironically, the family of a temporary trainee civil employee, even if she/he dies in an accident on getting drunk while on leave or by suicide, would be entitled to family pension, but not the family of this Agniveer Battle Casualty in Siachen (sorry for the dark and seemingly insensitive examples/comparison),” he posted on social media.
In another observation, former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash said, “This young Agniveer must have just finished his basic training of six months or so. Was it a good idea to post him to Siachen where the environment makes such harsh demands - physical and mental - even on experienced soldiers?”
