Dead soldier's kin continue sit-in, protestors block Jaipur-Bikaner highway

Jaipur, Sep 27 (PTI) The family of soldier Ramswaroop Kaswan and members of his community on Friday continued their sit-in for the second day in Rajasthan's Bikaner, demanding martyr status for the jawan who died under suspicious circumstances in Jammu and Kashmir.

The protestors also blocked the Jaipur-Bikaner national highway, disrupting traffic movement.

The soldier's family has not yet accepted his body for performing last rites.

The 24-year-old deceased jawan's family is also demanding action against the district soldier welfare officer who called the death a "suicide" without a court of inquiry.

Kaswan, a resident of the Panchu police station area here, died under suspicious circumstances in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, according to officials.

He was allegedly shot in the head while on duty and was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

Station House Officer (Bikaner Sadar) Kuldeep Charan said traffic has been diverted in view of the ongoing sit-in protest at the Museum Circle in Bikaner.

He said that former minister Govind Ram Meghwal, Nokha MLA Sushila Dudi, former Dungargarh MLA Girdhari Mahia, and Congress leader Bishna Ram Siyag also reached the protest site on Friday.

Charan said the body of the deceased soldier is kept in the military hospital and the family members did not take it for last rites even on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal had asked 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 district soldier welfare officer be removed and action be taken against him.

The parliamentarian also demanded all martyrs benefits be given to the soldier's family. PTI AG RPA RPA