'No exhibition', cries slain Army officer's mother as UP minister continues photo op

Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh minister virtually forced the grieving mother of slain Army officer Shubham Gupta to stand with him for a photo op while he delivered her a cheque at her residence in Agra on Friday.

Captain Shubham Gupta was martyred during an encounter with terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir, on Wednesday. Captain Gupta's body was brought to his home in Agra on Friday.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, the wailing mother is heard saying, "Ye pradarshini mat lagao, bhai" (stop this exhibition), as UP minister Yogendra Upadhyaya attempts to hand her a cheque of Rs 50 lakh, while others, presumably the minister's associates, hold the woman's hands and position her for the photograph.

The mother appears to try to wriggle herself free as the minister and his associates pose for the camera.

The UP minister's actions drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders who shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), as well as from netizens who deemed it 'insensitive' and an attempt to seek publicity in a time of grief.

''It's shameful... BJP leaders indulged in politics even on the martyrdom of soldiers... BJP should apologise to the family of the slain Army officer,'' the Samajwadi Party (SP) said in a post on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also slammed the minister. ''The mother is pleading while inconsolable yet the minister continues with his photo op. What shamelessness is this?... Won't even allow the martyr family to grieve in peace minus the cameras. Heartless,'' she said in a post.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha also decried the minister and the BJP over the incident. ''Captain Shubham Gupta made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty....his mother is grieving and eagerly awaiting her son's mortal remains. In the midst of her inconsolable sorrow, UP government's BJP minister Yogendra Upadhyaya shamelessly persists on having a photograph taken for his PR-this despite the mother's plea to refrain from turning her grief into a spectacle. Shame,'' he said in a post on X.

The Congress also slammed the BJP for what it said was insensitivity to the sorrow of the martyr's family.