After going through the letters which appeared in these columns on Thursday, expressing shock over the photograph of the security forces carrying the body of a woman rebel gunned down in an encounter in West Bengal (June 17), I feel those who wrote them have no idea of the ground realities. Security personnel actively engaged in anti-Maoist operations carry at least 25 kg of load, comprising a bullet-proof jacket, grenades, ammunitions and a rifle along with water, if available, and walk miles every day through dense forests and rugged terrains with anticipation of landmines at every step. They operate under very precarious conditions. Suggesting they carry stretchers is, therefore, illogical. Fortunately, not many of our poor security personnel read high-profile newspapers. Otherwise, the damage caused to their morale through such sweeping conclusions would be irreparable.
Corporal Jay Prakash,
Gwalior
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We must understand that the security personnel are in a war-like situation when they fight the Maoists in dense forests. They carry weapons, ammunition and ration to sustain themselves. One cannot expect them to carry stretchers and garlands to honour the dead in a gun battle. The media should laud their efforts in bringing back the dead in the best possible manner, without leaving them behind.
R. Balaji,
Coimbatore
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When the security forces go into the deep jungles to hunt down naxalites, their only goal is to finish their task with minimal casualty on their side. They do not rule out their own chances of getting killed. They are engaged in jungle warfare, fighting on a terrain they are least familiar with, while the case is just the opposite for the Maoists.
It is our tradition not to talk ill of the dead. But to invoke human rights and other platitudes only when the security forces kill the rebels — and not when it is the other way round — does not augur well for the morale of the forces. If we cannot sympathise with the tired soldiers who have survived a battle and are seen carrying a body in the best possible manner in the rustic conditions, it is all right. But let us not find fault with them.
Sarath S. Pillai,
New Delhi
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Yes, the photograph was bad but the readers need not have gone hammer and tongs over it and accused the already beleaguered security personnel. Don't workers manning mortuaries dump bodies like sardines?
J.S. Acharya,
Hyderabad
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The security personnel are seen carrying the body of the woman cadre like a trophy from a hunting expedition. Rebel or not, human beings deserve some more dignity. When that happens, India will see less of insurgency.
Sasi Manuel,
Kottayam
