Is a Sepoy or Sipahi same as the Constable or for that matter a Head Constable or Havaldar in the Army? The roles of Army and the Police Forces are well defined, as the former addresses external aggression , the latter handles the law and order within the country, however whenever the situation goes out of hand it is the Army that the nation turns to and Army on its part has never failed the nation barring 1962, where too the political leadership was more to blame.. Well the Armed Forces and the Police Forces may be donning the uniform alright, but I am sure we all know the colour of their uniforms distinguishes one from the other. But is the distinction just because of the colour of their uniform, which too has been usurped by the Central Police Forces by getting into the Combat uniform similar to those of the Indian Army. While it is understandable that organisations or individuals try and emulate their ideals and as Oscar Wilde said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." So the Police Forces went ahead and adopted the same set of Stars, Ashoka and Baton & Swords, flags for the cars and so on.
All this was generally looked at with some amusement by the men in OGs, not realising that slowly and gradually the distinction between the Armed Forces and the Police Forces was getting blurred not just in the minds of general public but also the media and even the powers that be. Moreover with both these forces joining hands in the counter insurgency operations in the Kashmir valley as also in the North East, some sort of acceptance of this new hierarchy was also gaining acceptance. Although the bulk of the work in the CI operations was still being done by the Army but the Police had to be kept in the loop as per the laws of the land.
Why am I referring to this fact today, well it is because, that is the crux of the issue of Indian Armed Forces personnel being meted out this step-motherly treatment by all and sundry in the Govt hierarchy. So much so that ill treatment of men in OGs has become quite a common scenario, as is evident in the recent shameful incident in Patiala, where a serving Colonel of the Army and his son were roughed up by 12 policemen. The fact is that the DG Police promising that action will be taken against the guilty can't be taken at its face value as the FIR doesn't mention the perpetrators and has been lodged by a Dhabawalla. The culprits are roaming around free, issuing threats to the victim's family. The fact that the Colonel's wife is the sister of a retired Lt Gen who has been the Corps Commander in Kashmir hasn't changed a thing. The irony is that not one politician from any party has thought it fit to condemn the incident. Without getting into the details of the case, which are already in public domain, the frequency of occurrence of similar incidents from different parts of the country is definitely alarming. We have had similar incidents in the recent past in Odisha, Rajasthan and now even in Punjab, where the Army personnel have always been given their due respect by the people, as most families have someone or the other in the Army themselves and are aware of the sacrifices which these battle hardened men have to make.
The malaise is not these incidents, these are mere manifestations of the rapid decline of the status of the Armed Forces in general and more so vis-a-vis the police forces. The perks, privileges, allowances, terms of service, the powers that they wield, and the resultant status in the society has been so orchestrated over these years that today the Armed Forces are treated with disdain,
I think it is high time, this issue is addressed at the highest level, lest the last vestige of dignity is also snatched from us. Two Constables from Punjab Police have recently been commissioned into the Army, I just hope and pray they don't regret their decision in days to come.
21 comments:
Suyash, its time for one of the Army Chief to sacrifice his tenure and sort out the rascals of civil society…. As was done during Gen Thimayya’s time to sort out goons comprising of CM Kahlon’s son in the 1950s. But the question is which Chief will sacrifice? Today we ( our service) are making weak and self centred leaders. Our status and rutaba in civil society will keep nose diving and no solutions in sight.
Bhai, absence of strong political condemnation or swift corrective action in incidents like these signals an unwillingness to confront such issues, further emboldening those responsible....
It’s crucial to compare this to a similar incident in October 1992, when Lieutenant Colonel Ravi Vats was assaulted by then-Senior Superintendent of Police Sumedh Singh Saini and his team in Chandigarh. The 1992 case saw a robust response from the Army. Lt Gen Bipin Chandra Joshi, spoke directly to Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and Governor Surendra Nath, leading to a joint investigation ordered by the Governor. Saini was removed from his post, charge sheeted, and three constables were suspended, with disciplinary proceedings initiated. This decisive action contrasts sharply with the current scenario, where the Army’s off-record stern stand and urging of Punjab Police top brass for action have not translated into public condemnation.
Such guys don't rise beyond Col or max Brig. Don't expect a Maruti 800 engine to Power Innova !
Why didn't GOC 1Armd Div intervene immediately ? He could have got these goons rounded up into one of the quarter guards , given them good thrashing and then negotiated. How do the same police guys behave well in Mhow, just because YOs rule there ! The higher you rise in life the weaker your spine becomes. Let's not blame politicians / bureaucrats, just see how much the higher ranks respect or care about their juniors of own cadre! Our own cadre is to blame for such sufferings.
You have brought out our collective angst very well.That those who serve and protect the nation can be subjected to such violence at the hands of those meant to uphold the law is a disgrace. But what makes it even more infuriating is the deafening silence of the government—no condemnation, no action, just an unsettling indifference. This incident is not just about two individuals; it’s about the erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard us. Yet, as an eternal optimist, I have faith that the IAS and IPS leadership will rise to the occasion, ensure the guilty are punished, and restore our honour—at least partially. Hopefully, things are moving behind the scenes
हर बात के लिए सरकार को दोष क्यों दें और खुद को नहीं?अगर मैं कर्नल बन सकता हूँ तो जनरल क्यों नहीं, करियर की दौड़ में मत पड़िए। कर्नल से लेकर चीफ तक बकवास स्वीकार करने के लिए दोषी। कभी-कभी पुलिस के साथ भी इसी तरह से जवाबी कार्रवाई करनी जरूरी,उन्हें पता चले कि सेना की ताकत क्या है।
Good one Sir .. i doubt if this will have any impact .. its the fast changing reality.. partly attributable to us for purely selfish reasons of high ranking individuals within who chose their own aspirations vis a vis organisation interests .. fingers crossed
These incidents have been happening for a long time. Police always shield their force...suspension, transfers are just to satisfy the public. Only recourse is a tooth for a tooth.. We did it as course students in 1984 and were supported by the hierarchy. Aaaisa maro ki at least a decade passes...should become a folklore...
Jai Hind sir
The No of such incidents are now happening quite frequently and has become a cause of concern. The need of the hour is unity of the entire org and equivocal response by armed forces, else such things will become common
Unfortunately, we are the cause and we are the sufferer. I live in a colony of serving civil services offrs and my relatives are full of serving and retd offrs from civil services. Never do they criticize their services or colleagues publically. In our case, we are vocal in criticizing our services, Sr offrs, our policies in social and print media. There is a silent and dignified way of raising a protest. Look at the videos going viral today carryin immature threats by veteran offrs to police. The bottom line is that they can individually do nothing other than venting out their anger and frustation.
The root cause is the malaise of corruption. The facilitators of the system are rewarded. They know their value and display arrogance due to knowledge of the nakedness of those in power. There are repercussions of decay in a society. Sadly, those that bear the brunt in the future will reap rewards of seeds they did not sow
We can only voice our opinion through well expressed write ups on WhatsApp groups, tweets and blogs, but besides being an outlet to vent our frustration, they will not make any difference at all to the ground situation..
What are our so called senior officers doing ?
The Chiefs, Vice Chiefs, Army Cdrs & Dy Chiefs..
They are the ones who are responsible for this erosion of status..
They have become 'yes men' at Delhi, and do not have the guts to take up a stand for their brothers in uniform..
That is the real issue...
Loss of moral integrity cannot be confined to boxes. It spreads
Ill treatment of serving defence persons by civilian est, particularly the police should be addressed by none other than the Defence Minister himself. This has become a trend in the country now with such incidents being reported from many states. Until and unless the RM addresses this i issue the soldiers will contribute to suffer. Why blame GOCs and Cdrs.
Ironically we keep thinking of consequences in such circumstances whereas when we are in operations we are absolute daredevils and just bash on regardless. I think the need of the hour is to get our youngsters to find the same chutzpah which the older generations displayed in ample measure even in such situations.
It's a matter of misgovernance in the State of Punjab. In such scenarios, independent power centers come up who flaunt their power, no holds barred. Such power centers have unbridled powers and have no fear of any checks and balances. You have states coming up within states. Punjab has become lawless.
The Police, on coming to know that the person involved is a serving Army officer, beat him up for perverse pleasure, knowing fully well that they have become invincible. The incident per se has nothing to do really with the downgradation of the Armed Forces in the Warrant of Precedence. Ramifications of those are different.
The perpetrators of the act knew that it's an Army Colonel, maze lo.
Strong and right thinking leadership is the need of the hour to sort out such issues.
Fair case for Dignity!
Blasphemous behaviour by the custodians of law & order is condemnable, regardless of identity at the receiving end
Namaste Suyash, Thank your for your Service to the Nation and Having been a Child and Man in Uniform, you are definitely among the most Qualified to Comment on this Subject. Thank you for your Distinguished Service to the Nation. Welcome to the Veterans World! Every word you say is to the point and accurate. Sad that people draw parallels to Rank just by looking at the Rank ensign being worn by the Person. Time for a Consolidated Effort to Change this situation. Just a matter of time before the Armed forces slip into an abyss, if the Armed Forces do not take STEPS to stem this slide.
The CM being referred to was Kairon not Kahlon .
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