Two politicians from Uttar Pradesh have faced criticism on social media for allegedly prioritizing a photo opportunity over the grief of the mother of an Army captain who was killed in action. The politicians, both from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), attempted to hand over two checks to the grieving mother as she sobbed and asked them to stop the “public display.” The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as well as people on social media, have condemned their actions as insensitive and heartless.
Captain Shubham Gupta was one of five Army soldiers killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri between Wednesday and Thursday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to Captain Gupta and announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh (approximately $67,000) and a government job for a family member.
A video shared by opposition party leaders shows Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Yogendra Upadhyay and BJP MLA GS Dharmesh attempting to take a photo with Captain Gupta’s mother at their Agra residence while handing over the checks. The mother, in tears, pulls her hands back and pleads with them not to make it a public display. She adds, “Get my son back, I don’t want all this.” However, the politicians ignore her plea and turn back to face the cameras.
The video has sparked outrage, with the Congress party describing the politicians as “vultures.” Raghav Chaddha, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, criticized the BJP, stating that the “B” in BJP should stand for “besharam” (shameless) and “P” for “Publicity.” He accused the minister of being more interested in taking a photograph for public relations purposes while the mother awaited her son’s body.
Other politicians, including Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Shiv Sena, have also condemned the incident as shameless and insensitive.
Captain Shubham Gupta joined the Indian Army in 2015 and was commissioned in 2018. His first posting was in Udhampur. The four other soldiers who died in the encounter were Captain MV Pranjal, Havildar Abdul Majid, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht, and Paratrooper Sachin Laur. Two Pakistani terrorists, including a senior commander who was an IED expert and a trained sniper, were also killed in the encounter.
