The defence by the Army chief, General Bipin Rawat, of his decision to reward an officer for using a human shield in Jammu and Kashmir, will be appreciated if we remember that the Army is there not fighting Indian citizens but a group of people who seek “liberation” from India and protesting using violent methods such as pelting stones, hurling petrol bombs and assisting or harbouring anti-social elements or themselves becoming terrorists.
Besides, the Army is not trained to fight such persons but soldiers from an enemy country.
In such a situation it has to be allowed to employ its own strategy to meet the unprecedented style of opposition. To expect it to adopt Gandhian techniques is to misunderstand its role. Its role is to restore immediate peace and order in a disturbed area. To maintain peace permanently is the job of the administration (“Need innovations to fight dirty war: Rawat”, May 29)
Y.G. Chouksey,
Pune
General Rawat has had to admit that the Army is fighting a dirty war. The Army not only has to contend with criticism from a section of the media and a disgruntled Opposition but also deal with a situation it is not trained to handle. It could have easily ignored the Gogoi incident — where many lives were saved and not a single one lost — but has instead been forced to respond to critics. The problem in Kashmir will continue to fester as long as we have people who overtly express empathy with the provocateurs. If the Army’s job is to rid the State of militants and terrorists, then it must be allowed to do so without any kind of restraint. Ensuring peace and upholding human rights is the work of politicians and activists and should not be thrust on a disciplined and combat-ready Army.
V. Nagarajan,
Chennai
General Rawat’s defence of the use of a human shield in Kashmir cannot be criticised. One cannot agree with him more when he says that India is facing a proxy war waged by Pakistan which needs to be countered using imagination and innovative means. All is fair in love and war and every conceivable step should be taken to neutralise the sinister designs of troublemakers. The criticism of human rights activists is out of sync with the ground reality. The lives of our Armymen are as precious as those of the stone-throwers. Is there any rule that Army personnel should sacrifice their lives while safeguarding the national interest?
P.K. Varadarajan,
Chennai
