In another instance of members of the security forces resorting to social media to express frustrations about working conditions, a soldier from Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district has uploaded a short video saying that should he be killed in action or during active service, his body should not be touched by corrupt politicians and grasping bureaucrats.
In a direct and dignified message, Lance Havildar Ranjeet Gawade, from Chandgad taluk, is seen saying that his wish should be regarded as his “final will.”
“In the past year, reports [have surfaced] of jawans being mistreated, which has saddened me and others like me. Hence, it is my wish that in the event I am martyred, I would not like corrupt politicians and self-serving bureaucrats to touch my body. Not only me, but I’m sure this is the wish of several other ordinary soldiers,” Lance Havildar Gawade says.
Lance Havildar Gawade had earlier put up a hoarding in his native Mahalunge village with a poem titled Mi Kon (Who am I?), in which he enumerates the selflessness and the single-minded dedication of the ordinary Indian jawan towards his country while serving on the front.
Not towards superiors
Speaking to The Hindu , Lance Havildar Gawade, currently serving in Jammu and Kashmir, clarified that his statements were not directed towards military superiors or even the political or bureaucratic class as a whole. “I am an ordinary soldier and I want to put it on record that there is no comparable institution like the Indian Army when it comes to taking care of its soldiers.
“My purpose of the hoarding and the video was to speak out against the mistreatment of jawans that has come to light recently, and is not directed against every politician and bureaucrat, but merely the corrupt ones in their lot,” he said. Referring to BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav’s case, Lance Havildar Gawade emphasised that such particular incidents of poor quality food being served were “isolated” ones.
