Terrorism and the Indian army

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Many would say the arrest of a few army man in the blasts in Malegaon has dented the image of the Indian Army. The accusation is something the most secular institution of the country would have never liked to have. But an incident of this scale cannot tarnish the image of a force where honour runs in its veins.

Despite of being million strong force the army has not interfered in the democratic functioning of the country where as our neighbouring countries have faced the brunt of their soldiers. They did not sit for a strike when their pay demands were not accepted by the bureaucrats. They did not shy away from the bullets in Kargil when the enemy was sitting at the top. The respects it commands is such that in times of need we remember God or the Indian Army.

Being born and brought up in North East and my mother having served in Assam Rifles I have seen the men in olive green from close quarters. I have seen these man far away from their homes braving the chilly weather in the hills. These soldiers face enemies on two fronts, the terrorist with the Kalashnikovs and the so called NGOs who champion the cause of Human Rights violation. Where do these people disappear when an army man is killed.

For long the political establishment in this country has taken the soldiers for granted. They have been posted in the trouble torn areas and have become a political football between the Centre and the state especially when it came to J&K and the North East. On one hand they are fighting the militants and on the other some insane souls in the society who always ignore the hardships faced by the soldiers posted so far away from home. What is expected of an armed force which hears Anti-India slogans on a day to day basis?

What has happened in Malegaon might just be the tip of the ice-berg. Let us hope that it was an isolated incident and only a handful people have been involved in it. Instead of playing politics over the issue a thorough ground check needs to be done in the military system. A soldier should be treated as a 'civilian in uniform' who is likely to be influenced by the incidents in the areas he serves in. His should not be expected to be an non-reactive material who just follows orders.

Our government should look into protecting the rights of our soldiers rather than that of the anti nationals and their families which it has been doing so far. It will be an unimaginable catastrophe if someday the million strong armed force goes mad in this country. The army has to be treated as a part of the society not something outside it as it takes lot of heart to be a soldier in this country.