A popular influencer on Instagram, Reshma Sebastian, has issued a clarification and said that she is not Smriti Singh, the widow of Captain Anshuman Singh, who was recently awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously, India’s second-highest gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu, for his bravery during a fire incident in Siachen.

Many internet users mistakenly believed Ms Sebastian to be Smriti Singh. Several people stated that their facial features and hairstyle seem similar. Notably, the influencer is a mother to a four-year-old girl and resides in Germany.

The influencer said that she endured harassment for her fashion videos and pictures on the social networking platform. Ms Sebastian also shared a screenshot on her Instagram story of a man mocking the Army officer’s wife in a Facebook post that included her picture.

She wrote, “This is absurd! Using my identity to spread false information about Smriti Singh. We are going ahead with legal actions.” The influencer, who has over three lakh followers, urged people to inform her of any other such incident.

Reshma Sebastian also shared a post on her Instagram feed and captioned it, “There is a limit.” “This is not Smriti Singh’s (widow of Indian Army soldier Capt Anshuman Singh) page/ig account. Read the profile details and bio first. Please refrain from spreading false information and hate comments,” she wrote in the post.

In July last year, a short circuit led to a fire in an Indian Army ammunition dump at Siachen around 3 am. Captain Singh helped rescue those stuck inside a fibre-glass hut near the dump as it caught fire. When the fire reached a nearby medical investigation shelter, Captain Singh attempted to retrieve life-saving medicine stored inside. In doing so, he suffered severe burns and died soon after.

The couple were married in February last year after Captain Singh graduated from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. This was his first posting at Siachen under Operation Meghdoot.

Raebareli:

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday met the family of late Captain Anshuman Singh, who died in the July 2023 Siachen fire, showing exceptional bravery and saving many lives.

He was honoured with the Kirti Chakra posthumously by President Droupadi Murmu recently.

Late Captain Anshuman Singh’s father Ravi Pratap Singh and mother Manju Singh reached Raebareli to meet the senior Congress leader.

Talking to reporters after meeting the Congress MP, Manju Singh said that she had earlier expressed a desire to meet the Congress MP and he called her. She was very moved while meeting Mr Gandhi on Tuesday, and discussed the Agniveer scheme with him.

Replying to a question, she said that the Indian Army should ensure equal facilities for all.

She said that she had met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and their response was very positive.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi landed at the Lucknow airport and reached Raebareli by road.

He was scheduled to land at Fursatganj airport but due to low visibility, his special aircraft coming from Manipur was diverted to Lucknow, Congress sources said.

This was the first visit of the Congress MP to his constituency after assuming office of the LoP in the Lok Sabha.

On reaching Raebareli, Mr Gandhi offered prayers at a temple in Bachhrawan and then headed to the Bhuemau Guest House where he met delegations from different sections of society, besides party leaders and citizens.

He is also expected to visit a few villages in his constituency before returning to New Delhi later in the evening.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Smriti Singh, the widow of Captain Anshuman Singh, stood before President Droupadi Murmu with folded hands. Alongside her stood Captain Singh’s mother, their shared grief palpable. Both of them were at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to accept the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest gallantry award, awarded posthumously to Captain Singh for his bravery during a fire incident in Siachen. 

“He would tell me, ‘I would die with the brass on my chest. I would not die an ordinary death,'” Smriti Singh recalled.

“We met on the first day of college. I don’t want to be dramatic but it was love at first sight. After a month, he got selected into the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC). We met at an engineering college but then he got selected in a medical college. Super intelligent guy. From then on, after just one month of meeting, it was a long-distance relationship for eight long years,” she added. “Then we decided to get married. Unfortunately, within two months of our marriage, he got posted in Siachen.”

Cpt #AnshumanSingh was awarded #KirtiChakra (posthumous). It was an emotional moment for his wife & Veer Nari Smt Smriti who accepted the award from #President Smt #DroupadiMurmu. Smt Smriti shares the story of her husband’s commitment & dedication towards the nation. Listen in! pic.twitter.com/SNZTwSDZ1Z

— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) July 6, 2024

Captain Singh was posted with 26 Punjab as a medical officer in the Siachen Glacier area. On July 19, 2023, a short circuit led to a fire in an Indian Army ammunition dump around 3 am. Captain Singh saw a fibreglass hut engulfed in flames and immediately acted to save those trapped inside. He successfully rescued four to five individuals, however, the fire soon spread to a nearby medical investigation room. 

Captain Singh went back into the blazing structure. Despite his efforts, he could not escape the inferno, and was trapped inside before dying.

“Unfortunately, within two months of our marriage, he got posted in Siachen,” Ms Singh recounted. “On July 18, we had a long conversation about how our life would be in the next 50 years. On July 19 morning, I got a call that he is no more,” she said. “For the next 7-8 hours we were not ready to accept that anything of such sort has happened.”

“Now that I have the Kirti Chakra in my hand, maybe it is true. But it’s okay, he’s a hero. We can manage a little of our lives. He has given all his life to save other families, his army family,” Ms Singh said. 

Captain Singh was cremated with full state honours in Bhagalpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district on July 22, 2023. 

New Delhi:

An Agniveer died in the line of duty in Siachen, the Army’s Leh-headquartered Fire and Fury Corps said on Sunday. Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande and all ranks of the force condoled the death of Agniveer, Gawate Akshay Laxman, who hailed from Maharashtra.

The Siachen glacier at the height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.

The exact details of Laxman’s death are not immediately known.

“Quartered in snow silent to remain, when the bugle calls they shall rise and march again,” the Fire and Fury Corps said on ‘X’.

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… pic.twitter.com/1Qo1izqr1U

— @firefurycorps_IA (@firefurycorps) October 22, 2023

“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,” it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)