The Chief Minister of J&K in a television interview recently praised the Army as an institution post the Shopian incident. She also said that the Army has some “black sheep” and the matter needs investigation. So Madam CM you have already judged the incident and labeled the persons concerned as ‘black sheep” and decided that they are guilty before the inquiry?
What may one ask gives you this first hand insight without a proper inquiry? Is it a biased mindset or will the inquiry be fair now that the CM has pronounced her verdict? The CM also stated that the defence minister had been contacted and then she gave the impression that the inquiry has been ordered with the defence ministry’s concurrence. The defence ministry till date has not given a clarification but May I bring to the attention of all what another civilian military leader had to say to his soldiers.
President Obama once said words to that effect, “When I send you to harm’s way I shall create conditions for your success”. If the MOD is not creating conditions for success for soldiers it has no right to put them in harm’s way. They too are soldiers because they are citizens of this great nation who are some ones sons and daughter and these families too are making the sacrifice for the nation. This problem of seeing the Armed forces in isolation and not as our own army manned by citizens of this country, served by our own sons and daughters, is on account of the colonial past and the very fact that the ruling class has no truck with soldiering except paying lip service. An FIR has been registered for doing ones’ duty, and what is displayed in the media is not in a language that the Army understands, how would a unit and a soldier decipher it one wonders?
There is a larger question that needs to be asked with reference to this unit in particular. Who sent 10 Garhwal Rifles to J&K.? Did they go there of their own free will to see the beautiful valley of Kashmir where from 1947 one community has first raped, killed and looted its own brethren and than done ethnic cleansing. These soldiers were sent on a particular task because law and order which is a state subject was not in control of the state, than they do need special protection which comes from AFSPA. The state which is responsible for law and order seeks central help in overcoming its problems and then prosecutes those who have come to its assistance. Isn’t the situation ironical? There is an internal mechanism within the Army for delivering justice and they are very effective, why is the state government now imposing itself?
Is this a case of political expediency one wonders? The next question is who sent this convoy? Obliviously there was something amiss that needed intervention many stories are doing the rounds, but the fact is that force was required thus it was sent. Soldiers it is hoped are sent when all other attempts to quell the disturbance have not yielded results. Of course these days the nation has got used to the soldier being used first to construct railway bridges, or bridges over the Yamuna, or laying yoga mats, but that aside when the chips are down, the force was sent because of the volatility of the situation. If the situation is volatile what is expected of any citizen first answer that in self defence, the Army of course, has to fire for effect.
Who is responsible for the stone throwers? Do they continue to hide under the cloak of political secrecy? There is a wall of silence around the conduct of the stone pelters. Is it correct to pelt stones at soldiers of the nation? Why has the CM not condemned the stone pelters? How can an officer be named in an FIR if he was not present at the place of the incident, is this a case of a witch hunt against a brave officer who has done well in the Valley?
Long ago a veteran who had gone to England met some people at the invesiture ceremony. He stated that the British had never lost a war. The answer was simple, “we respect the armed forces”. There is a larger game being played out, it seems. With the recent success of the Army in the valley the aim is to target the cohesiveness and morale of the forces. The best way to do so is to drive a wedge between the civil military divide the nation needs to be aware, and stand up with its soldiers who are doing a thankless job with a smile on their face, giving aid during flood relief at Srinagar during floods even with stone pelters throwing stones at helicopters.
(The writer is an Indian Army veteran who has authored books Gorkha: In Search Of Identity and Gorkha: Society and Politics)