The word martyr has no official recognition, says MoD; Know more
Earlier this week the Ministry of Defence in response to a question in the Parliament clarified that the term “martyr’’ is not used by the Indian Armed Forces for the personnel who sacrificed their lives in line of duty. Minister of state for Defence responded to a question in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing session of Parliament.
Why?
According to reports, the term ‘martyr’ is often used to refer to the sacrifices made by people for their religious beliefs, therefore is considered to be used in reference to religions. The word “shaheed’’ which is often used as a Hindustani alternative too is considered to be referring to religious beliefs.
The dictionary defines martyr as a person who suffers death voluntarily as a punishment for refusing to renounce a religion. This word has its root in the Greek word “martur’’.
Indian Armed Forces
The personnel/soldiers/officers of the Indian Armed Forces are not laying down their lives in the name of religion; therefore the use of such words has not found any favourable acceptance in several quarters including the top brass of the Indian Army.
From the Indian perspective, when a soldier is killed or dies in action, it will be wrong to use words like “shaheed’’ or “martyr’’ for them.
Steps taken to prevent the use of the word ‘martyr’
Though the government has been asserting that the word “martyr’’ has no official recognition, the word has been used liberally by the public relations offices of the Indian Armed Forces and the CAPFs. It has also been used by several senior and retired officers when they talk about the soldiers lost in action.
Earlier this year, the Indian army has issued a letter to all its commands urging them to desist from using this term as it may not be right for the soldiers who die in line of duty.
What can be used?
Terms like “killed in action’’, “fallen heroes’’, “bravehearts’’, “ veergati/veergati prapt/veer’’, “battle casualty’’ and “braves whom we lost’’.
Background
The debate for using “martyr’’ has been going on for almost a decade and the government has maintained that this term does not have any official recognition.
In 2013 and 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs had clarified in responses to RTI applications that the terms like “Shaheed’’ and “Martyr’’ are not defined anywhere by the Government of India.
According to reports, in 2015, the then Minister of State for Home Affairs Kirren Rijiju had stated in Lok Sabha that the Ministry of Defence had already informed the Parliament that “martyr’’ is not used for any casualties in the Indian Armed Forces and that such terms are not used for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the Assam Rifles Personnel.
Last December, Rajya Sabha was again informed by the Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai that there was no official term as ‘martyr’ to describe those who are killed in line of duty.