The haste shown by the Army in commending Major Gogoi, whose controversial act of tying a civilian to the front of a military vehicle as a human shield in Budgam district in J&K is still under probe, is inappropriate (“Major Gogoi gets Army chief commendation”, May 23). The incident created a rift — public uproar on both legal and ethical grounds, with some veterans too expressing their unqualified disapproval while the Army justified it on tactical grounds aimed at containing further violence. The Court of Inquiry, by its own admission, is yet to complete its work. Yet the Army chief appears to have taken note of “overall emerging indicators of the Court of Inquiry ” among other factors . This by itself is quite puzzling. By his peremptory action, the Army chief has in effect rendered the CoI redundant; its findings will lack credibility. It also betrays a lack of sensitivity to people’s sentiments when they find an Army officer still under probe being rewarded for his highly questionable professional conduct. Given the volatile situation in the Valley, General Rawat could have been a little more circumspect in the matter.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
I hope the Army chief realises the damaging influence such a decision would have on the moral fabric of not just the Army but of the country as a whole. The country gets a message that the Army is not only authorised but also allowed to celebrate the violation of the rights of unarmed people if it helps its cause. We should hang our heads in shame as the Army has used a human shield, did not condemn the act, and then, most shockingly, awarded the soldier who carried out such a barbaric act in public. The President and the Prime Minister need to restrain Army hawks and educate them on what civilised behaviour is all about. It also applies to the armed forces and the way in which they deal with unarmed citizens.
Kiran Gandhi,
Pune
