The Indian Army announced on Wednesday that the family of Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who died in the line of duty, has received Rs 98 lakh as compensation. This clarification follows Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's social media post alleging that Ajay Kumar's family had not received any government compensation.

The Army's statement read, "Certain posts on social media have brought out that compensation hasn't been paid to the next of kin of Agniveer Ajay Kumar who lost his life in the line of duty... Of the total amount due, the family of Agniveer Ajay has already been paid Rs 98.39 lakhs."

Additionally, the Army mentioned that ex-gratia and other benefits totaling approximately Rs 67 lakhs will be disbursed after the final account settlement and due police verification, bringing the total compensation to about Rs 1.65 crore.

The Army underscored its commitment to promptly compensating the families of fallen soldiers, including Agniveers.

This statement was issued shortly after Rahul Gandhi posted a video on his X account, claiming that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied about the compensation paid to Ajay Kumar's family. The video also featured Ajay Kumar's father, who asserted that no compensation had been received from the central government.

During a Lok Sabha session on Monday, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of treating Agniveers as "use-and-throw laborers" and not granting them the status of "shaheed" (martyr). In response, Rajnath Singh urged Rahul Gandhi not to mislead Parliament, emphasizing that Agniveers who die in the line of duty receive a compensation of Rs 1 crore.

The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, 2022, recruits youths aged 17-and-a-half to 21 years for a four-year tenure, with a provision to retain 25% for an additional 15 years. The upper age limit was later extended to 23 years.