Is a Constable a Jawan?

 

Are jawans (soldiers) and constables synonymous? I am sure most of us are aware that the two have different roles assigned by the govt. While a soldier is assigned the primary responsibility to safeguard our borders from external threats, a constable is responsible for maintaining law and order within the country. If that be so, why are these terms being used interchangeably by the media and more pertinent question is that why is this being accepted as fait accompli by the military? Media personnel and the masses could even be excused for their ignorance, as they see a person in combat dress and address him as a soldier, but we the uniformed fraternity ought to know the difference and it is our duty to point that out. My civilian friends may feel that I am unnecessarily being a prude or a stickler, after all both serve the govt and their roles are demanding which require dedication and loyalty of the highest order.

In the last couple of decades, since Indian Army has been actively involved in counter insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir as also in the North East, the two agencies have been operating in tandem and at times even in joint operations. This intermingling has blurred the distinction between the two and the end result is this confused state of nomenclature. The Central Armed Police Forces(CAPF), BSF, CRPF, SSB, CISF all are attired in different patterns of combat pattern uniforms. Then there are Assam Rifles and NSG which are even manned/officered by Army personnel. CAPFs are under the Ministry of Home Affairs, whereas Armed Forces fall under the  ambit of Ministry of Defence. During the pre-independence period, the uniforms as also the accoutrement of the two were different, the police forces donned Khaki and Army Olive Green. Army was garrisoned and stuck to their cantonments or were in field areas away from the masses, the CAPFs were summoned whenever the situation demanded a beefing up of  the police forces, but the Army was only called out when the state govt called out to the Centre to control the state of affairs. Army by its sheer might was equipped to handle any and every such quagmire which the state or central machinery found itself in, and dutifully bailed them out each and every time, restoring the situation and handing it over back to the civil administration.

Army is the last resort which is available with any state, like the panacea, it can handle aid to civil authorities, be it floods, earthquake or natural disasters, insurgency, loot, arson, riots or even rescuing kids stuck in open bore-wells. Now that the distinction between the Army and CAPFs are being blurred deliberately, at last it appears so, we as a nation are at a risk as was witnessed during the riots and arson in Haryana when Gurmeet Ram Rahim was arrested and the Dera followers went on a rampage, where Army units had to carry ‘placards’ that they were Army and not the CAPFs.

This article is not to discredit the CAPFs and the stellar role which they play, but just that the identity and uniqueness of the Military can’t be and should never be under any such ambiguity. While Army has a Sipahi or a soldier, Lance Naik, Naik, Havaldar in the hierarchy of Non Commissioned Officers, the Police forces have a Constable and Head Constable. Then Army has Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major as Junior Commissioned officers, while the Police forces have Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), Sub Inspector (SI) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)/Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who are selected through state level public service commissions or promoted through the constabulary.

If the designations and uniforms are distinct and different, then why should there be this confusion? Isn’t it high time, there are clear diktats issued to safeguard this distinction and identity. We have observed that in the recent past a number of incidents have been reported where the police personnel have behaved in a high headed manner in their dealings with the Defence personnel, even with senior serving personnel. Punjab incident being the most recent one where a serving Colonel along with his son were roughed up  by the police personnel. This malaise will progressively worsen if measures are not instituted forthwith to address the situation before it ends up demoralising the last bastion of the nation or worse if they decide to take law into their own hands and mete out exemplary punishment to the perpetrators.