Protests over soldier's mysterious death, Nagaur MP seeks defence minister's intervention

Family members and locals sat on a dharna in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district on Thursday, demanding martyr status for soldier Ramswaroop Kaswan who died under suspicious circumstances in Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The family alleged that the district soldier welfare officer issued a release calling the incident a suicide attempt, while a court inquiry is still pending in the matter.

Kaswan had allegedly sustained bullet injury in his head while on duty in Anantnag and was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal has urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to take cognisance of the matter.

According to Beniwal’s post on X, Ramswaroop Kaswan was a native of Ranchu village in Nokha tehsil of Bikaner and was employed in the 75th Armed Regiment of the Indian Army in Anantnag, Srinagar.

“The Defence Minister should immediately send the senior army officials to conduct an impartial investigation of the case, since declaring the death of a soldier as a suicide without a Court of Inquiry shows the narrow mindset of the District Sainik Welfare Officer of Bikaner,” he said in a post on X in Hindi.

He demanded the officer be removed and action be taken against him.

The parliamentarian also demanded all martyrs benefits be given to the soldier’s family.