In a strongly-worded statement addressed to political parties of India, Apoorva Rawat, daughter of Kaushal Kumar Rawat, one of the 40 CRPF soldiers killed in the terror attack in Pulwama on February 14, has called for the politicisation of the armed forces to be stopped.

Appearing on Tiranga TV’s show This Is Us with Barkha Dutt, Apoorva said, “If you drag any soldier of the Indian Army into politics, you are insulting them.” The forces do not belong to the prime minister, Apoorva added. She was referring to a recent statement by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, where he had referred to the Army as “Modiji ki sena”. Adityanath was served a warning by the Election Commission of India for his comment.

“Army is not here for a particular party or a particular person, it is for everyone in the country,” Apoorva Rawat said, garnering applause from the studio audience. Fighting back her tears, Mamta Rawat, wife of the killed CRPF soldier, reiterated her daughter’s statements. Apoorva also pointed out how the family was bombarded with visits from politicians after the attack, but a while later no one was even answering her calls.