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Retired Indian Army Soldier Booked For Hate Speech: Who is Digendra Kumar?

Among the 6 men who were booked for hate speech is Digendra Kumar, a retired officer of the Indian Army.

Updated
India
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The Pune Police on Tuesday, 28 December, booked six men, including 'godman' Kalicharan Maharaj and Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote in a suo-moto case against communally-charged hate speeches during an event in the city on 19 December.

The speeches, reportedly made with a targeted attempt to malign Muslim and Christian communities, were cited in the FIR filed under Sections 295 (A) (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings), 298 (deliberate intention of wounding religious feelings) and 505 (2) (false statement, rumour made in place of worship with intent to create enmity) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), news agency PTI reported.

Among the six men who were booked is Digendra Kumar, a retired soldier of the Indian Army and a Maha Vir Chakra recipient.

Kumar, previously accoladed for being a Kargil War hero, was reportedly present at the questionable 'Shiv Pratap Din’ event, held to lionise Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and to celebrate the death of Mughal commander Afzal Khan.

Here is what we know about the 'war hero'.

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Battle of Tololing & Maha Vir Chakra

Digendra Kumar, till now, was publicly known for helping secure a victory in the crucial Battle of Tololing – an instrumental assault on the Pakistan military amidst the Kargil War of 1999.

Kumar, working under the 2nd Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, was the commander of the light machine gun group during his company's assault on Tololing feature in the Drass sector.

For his courage during the battle, he was honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest wartime gallantry award, on 15 August 1999.

His Mahavir Chakra citation had read:

"On 13 June 1999, when the assault group was nearing its objective, it came under effective enemy fire of well concealed universal machine gun, heavy machine gun and other small arms leading to heavy casualties in the assault group. Naik Digendra Kumar was hit by a bullet in his left arm. Undaunted and unmindful of his own injury, he kept firing with one hand and brought down effective and accurate light machine gun fire on the enemy. His accurate fire kept the enemy's head down while his own men advanced towards the objective. Finally, under his effective covering fire, own troops physically assaulted the enemy position and cleared it after a fierce hand-to-hand fight."

The statement hailed his 'conspicuous gallantry, courage and grit' in the face of the enemy.

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Denial of Disability & Service Pension

Kumar had previously been in the news for speaking up against the Indian Army and the government of Rajasthan, his home state, for allegedly denying him his share of disability and service pension.

Kumar had sustained five bullet wounds during the Battle of Tololing and was denied the disability pension from 2005 to 2010, which ultimately forced him to move the Armed Forces Tribunal.

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Topics:  Pune   Hate Speech 

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