Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat, who hails from a family that has served in the military for generations, is under attack for his remarks on tackling civil protests in restive Kashmir.
One historian compared him to an infamous British general who ordered the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Indians in 1919, while a Communist party newspaper said his views reflected those of a federal “government which seeks to suppress the people of Kashmir.”
These outbursts raise the question of how far intellectuals and politicians can go in attacking an army known for its apolitical and secular character.
Let us take the views of the historian first.
Partha Chatterjee claimed his article, which was headlined ‘In Kashmir, India Is Witnessing Its General Dyer Moment’, was not intended to suggest General Rawat’s motives are the same as those of Gen Reginald Dyer.
He finds similarities, however, between Gen Dyer’s arguments in defending the massacre of locals by the British Indian army and Gen Rawat’s defense of Major Leetul Gogoi, who recently used a Kashmiri protester as a human shield to control a mob in Budgam.
The situations in Jallianwala Bagh and Budgam were far from similar.
Gen Dyer faced an unarmed crowd of about 20,000 in a garden while Major Gogoi confronted a 1,200-strong mob armed with petrol bombs and stones at a polling station.
If the army’s acts are sometimes glorified, that is only to boost the morale of young officers such as Major Gogoi who are operating in a difficult environment
Gen Dyer’s troops fired 1,650 rounds, over the course of 10 minutes, to disperse the crowd, killing at least 379. Major Gogoi quelled the mob without firing a single shot. He tied Farooq Ahmad Dar, a stone-pelter (not a passer-by), to the bonnet of an army jeep to deter the mob from throwing stones then drove poll officials to a safe place. Dar was subsequently let off unharmed.
Gen Dyer wanted to prove the white man’s dominion over Indians and teach them a lesson. So he ordered the firing. Major Gogoi wanted to tackle the mob without causing any bloodshed. He acted on the spur of the moment, and succeeded.
Gen Dyer had – in his own words – a “horrible, dirty duty” to fulfill. As a white man, he did not want to make himself a fool and be laughed at by the crowd.
Gen Rawat’s duty is to hold the morale of his team high as they fight terrorism, militancy and stone-pelters – as he reminded media. To preserve its authority, he said, the army must be feared. Should soldiers remain silent when locals kick them, snatch their rifles and abuse them?
Equating Gen Rawat’s actions with Gen Dyer’s makes for catchy headlines. But Rawat’s ‘General Dyer moment’ will never arrive. Then why all this fuss?
The Congress party and the Communists – both currently marginalized – are trying to put the army into the political crossfire because there are hardly any corruption charges against the present government to shout about. With elections not far off, they fear any narrative about the army doing good work in Kashmir or elsewhere will further bolster the image of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
By comparing Gen Rawat to Gen Dyer or calling him a mouthpiece for the government, his critics, led by Prakash Karat, hope to give Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists succor in their fight against India.
Opposition parties and intellectuals should leave the army alone. Let the soldiers do their job in Kashmir and India’s Maoist-infested regions. If the army’s acts are sometimes glorified, that is only to boost the morale of young officers such as Major Gogoi who are operating in a difficult environment.
Going by your perverse and demented logic, occupation Indian army should tie up Kashmiris to all their military vehicles and jeeps so that Kashmiris should not protest throwing stones against heavily armed 900,000 thousand well trained well equipped army out of 1,300,000 total Indian army beside having CPRF, police, ATF, intelligence agencies and undercover agents. Kashmir has highest military presence per population in the entire world since 1947, and coward Indian army killed about 250,000 innocent Kashmiris men, women youths and kids lot more than Gen Dyer. Atleast Gen Dyer did not kill youths, young girls and babies and definitely did not raped Indian females as Indian army raped more than 30,000 Kashmiri girls since 1947 and use rape as the tool and weapon of war to suppress and subjugate the freedom moment. Given the legitimacy of the brutal human right violation would not solve the problem in Kashmir because now Kashmiris know and understand who is their sworn enemy – India and Indian Army- this fight will never stop no matter what India does – it’s better Indian government and India get out of Kashmir NOW because right now Kashmiris are fighting the well armed coward Indian army with stones, but the time is not that far when instead of stones, these hands will carry automatic weapons, grenades and RPGs, I bet that time is not that far and then Major Gagoi and other majors or a cow will be tied in top of bonnets of the Kashmiri vehicles so that India would not harm the local population.
He is a shameless and communal general and a follower of Hindutva. He is totally unfit for a secular Indian army who Modi wants to make a communal force. The army general should be ashamed to make such sarcastic comments against Kashmiris. Will he mete out the same treatement against Hindus?
My heart goes out to the helpless Indian soldiers having to protect themselves against teenaged students armed with lethal stones. After all it is not a fair fight, the Indian soldiers only carry the latest weaponry and pellet guns that this world can offer.
Indian soldiers and scientists are doing the country proud. Army chief Gen Rawat did the right thing by honoring Maj Gogoi. How can Gen Rawat
be compared to the ‘Butcher of Amritsar’ Gen Dyer? Writers and politicians make comments to serve their own interests. Gen Rawat makes decisions to
serve the national interest. The difference in their approaches is very clear.
While criticising Major Gogoi for using human shield to save lives, no one has come up with an alternative solution that could have disarmed the mob. The major came to the spot responding to an SOS. He had to think and act fast. He did that and saved the day without firing a shot. Human lives matter more than rules or logic linked to one’s rights. There is mischievous intent in comparing Gen Rawat to Gen Dyer.