Should there be laws to prevent people or media from taking potshots at the Army?

Image 4For any nation to thrive and prosper, it has to have a profound sense of nationalism and intense patriotism, supported by a formidable military. To be able to provide a conducive environment for the sprouting of such worthy sentiments, India has to cultivate and nurture strong patriotic fervour among its population. And that, in turn, has to be aided and abetted by the government and its leadership.

A sense of pride and esteem in the military muscle of the country is an integral part towards fostering a national self-worth. Simultaneously, the military personnel should be made to feel that they are important. For that, they have to be treated with respect, courtesy, love, and esteem by the civilians. All these are imperative to make the forces effective.

Our Army is Fighting a Selfless War

Unfortunately, in India, it has become fashionable for certain sections of the population to take potshots at our national institutions like the Army. They keep criticising the armed forces for their strategies aimed at containing the spiralling internal troubles or for combating the cruelty of the professional stone-throwers or for gunning down armed terrorists in some parts of the country as part of their duty.

In fact, the Indian Army needs to be treated with admiration because they fight at some of the toughest theatres of war while living in exceptionally harsh and treacherous climatic conditions and near extremely hostile borders anywhere in the world.

We also need to revere our Army because they are fighting a selfless war. For the sake of our country, they have to forego many simple comforts of life that many of us take for granted. Currently, India has the third largest Army in the world, and its men have acquitted themselves admirably well over the years.

Despite rendering such honourable service to the nation, some sections of the people and media tend to cast aspersions on the service personnel. It is not at all cool to malign our own forces. Now, here the question is should there be a law to prevent people from taking potshots at the Army?

Should be Commended for Unsung Struggles

The answer should be an emphatic YES even though it might sound like an infringement on the fundamental right to freedom of speech. Imagine this: on any given holiday, many of us wake up late, and lazily sip hot coffee, sitting comfortably in our lounge chair. Or, we watch from our balcony the world go by and probably later in the afternoon we go for a film and eat out.

On the other hand, many of our Army personnel may be biding their time in some dugout in the middle of nowhere. All around, there is white snow, as deep as their knee. The temperature ranges from a minus 10 degrees Celsius to bone-numbing minus 50 degrees. The glare from the snow is blinding. If they step out, a barrage of enemy bullets could pound them to pieces. And their ration is running out, and they never know when they might get their supplies.

This is a routine scenario for our soldiers, and they go through such ordeals on a daily basis for our sake. As such should we not be grateful to them for their sacrifices? It is common sense that there is nothing like absolute freedom. Any right to freedom comes with a set of responsibilities. A person’s right to “free movement” does not entitle him or her to walk over the head of another person.

Here, we should remember that if the civilians level accusations of improper action against our men in uniform, however absurd those charges might sound, the service rules do not permit them to refute the allegations or explain the situation to defend their actions.

Anti-India Tirade is Full-time Profession

The civilians who shout from the rooftops about alleged human right abuses have no clue as to under what conditions our Army personnel operate. It is all very easy to give long lectures from the safety of a comfortable chair in your living room or give sermons from the comfort of a TV studio. But it is an entirely different matter to actually face hostile missiles and projectiles from an unruly, aggressive mob.

What these critics conveniently forget is that they can sleep peacefully in their homes at night because of the agonies suffered by our Armymen. Some of our civilians, who profess to be the keepers of human rights, left-liberal intellectuals or whatever, have taken up anti-India tirade as a profession. They seem to think that it is trendy to criticise every government establishment. They believe it is okay to spit and run, and to hell with ethics and morality.

How moral is it to level unfounded and baseless accusations at the Army sitting comfortably in an insulated place knowing fully well that they cannot defend themselves? Maybe, that is how these “chatterati” thrive! Anyone with a modicum of common sense can understand that our soldiers, who keep a constant vigil 24X7X365 at the borders, deserve our utmost respect.

Those at the border posts and hostile territories stay away from their families, family events and festivals to make sure that the rest of us within the country celebrate our special days with our loved ones, without sparing a single thought to the skirmishes along the border.

Soldiers Face a War Every Day

If you look at it, our soldiers pay a huge price for keeping us safe and for ensuring our peaceful existence. They enjoy no holidays, no weekends and no bonuses. They don’t see their children grow up nor do they know how they have fared in the academic exams. These Armymen spend their youth at the altar of the nation’s safety.

What do they get back for their sacrifices? Abuses, insults, brickbats, and infamy! And for what? Just for discharging their honourable duty? For taking action against stone throwers, who, by the way, are driven not by any ideology but by their greed for money and money alone!

Is it fair? No, not at all. This is more so because they are given no options. They cannot choose whether to stay at a border post or to come back or to give up. Like Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw had once told them that they are required to fight, and they should fight to win. “There is no roof for the losers. If you lose, don’t come back. You will have disgraced the country, and the country won’t accept you,” he had then emphasized.

The soldiers fight not to protect their family or their property. They face bullets for the sake of us – the civilians, including those who sit at the TV studios with their big mouths, bigger ignorance, and gigantic egos. In fact, the soldiers cherish peace more than anyone else. As the celebrated and much decorated American Field Marshal Douglas MacArthur tells us, “The soldier, above all others, prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”

Soldiers face a war every day in order to hold the peace. It is a tough job. In insurgent areas, there is only one law: kill or get killed. In a way, unrest within the country is harder to deal with than border skirmishes. On the border, the enemy is in uniform. Between two professional soldiers, there is no quarter asked or given.

But, domestically, the enemy is faceless and nameless. He does not wear a uniform that would distinguish him as a friend or enemy. When stones and grenades come flying, when bombs go off anywhere anytime, soldiers do need to initiate counteraction. Because they also have a right to protect themselves. In the process, some collateral damage is but inevitable.

Laws Needed to Ensure Army is Respected

Our Army and other branches of the military are national symbols, and represent the best of all our government institutions. It’s our country’s pride. It’s like our national flag. There is a protocol on how the nation’s flag should be treated. A similar protocol on dealing with the military is the need of the hour.

We need such a regulation because many of us tend to misuse or abuse our liberties. Many of us, particularly the youngsters, don’t respect authority and resort to vandalizing public property at the slightest provocation.

When our flag or national institutions are allowed to be trampled upon, the future generations will stop appreciating us as a nation. We will then become weak as a country. Even before we realise it, India may get disintegrated. No doubt, any such development will be grabbed with glee by our enemies, internally and externally.

Hundreds of thousands of men and women of integrity have given their sweat and blood and laid down their lives to make us what we are today. We cannot squander it away in the name of liberty for the sake of some misguided, anti-national elements or ill-informed politicians. Ignorant and fading politicians and out-of-work journalists take potshots at our national institutions like the Army to stay relevant and to remain in the public eye. Such things should not be allowed to happen if we want India to remain strong and united.

Any such possibility, even if remote, must be nipped in the bud. If left unchecked it could assume dangerous proportions. Containing it then could have serious consequences. The nation may have to pay a big price for it by then.

Given that India’s neighbours include a restless and unstable Pakistan on the west and an assertive and aggressive China on the north, India’s defences should remain battle-ready at all times. We need a motivated and robust Army to safeguard our freedom. We cannot let some pseudo-liberals and ignorant politicians to mar the high reputation of our Army and affect their morale.

So, if we need new regulations to prevent mischief-mongers from taking potshots at our national and patriotic institutions, so be it. Any curb on our freedom of speech is a small price to pay for keeping our defence forces highly motivated and battle-ready.

91 thoughts on “Should there be laws to prevent people or media from taking potshots at the Army?

  1. Shekhar Choubey

    In every service, there are honest as well as dishonest people. The army takes care of dishonesty while on duty according to their own set of rules. But there can be more transparency and accountability.

    Reply
  2. Ajay Chandran

    No one can justify withdrawing forces from Kashmir or other insurgency hit areas. They are needed to maintain peace. If any armyman is found guilty of some misdeed, the entire army cannot be blamed.

    Reply
  3. Kushal jose

    Patriotism and nationalism is high these days. Supreme Court even ordered national anthem in cinema halls. All in all we are at a good track and this may be the basis for a new law to check allegations on army.

    Reply
  4. Mukul Varanasi

    If there is something that the government and Parliament need to do for our army is to improve their standard of living and facilities to them and their families.

    Reply
  5. Ravi Shankar

    Harsh legislation will not work in this case because it might make army feel they have immunity and impunity for all their acts. But at least straightforward and unsubstantiated criticism should be curbed.

    Reply
  6. Pratap Singh

    I think it was a sad day when Azam Khan of UP condemned the Indian armed forces and levied allegations on them. Since there is no law for such defamation he could escape punishment.

    Reply
  7. Abhishek Yadav

    A renewed focus has come on how we treat the people who fight for us during wars and prevent our borders round the clock after BJP has won elections. This is a good sign.

    Reply
  8. SATISH PURI

    There are two arguments – one is freedom of speech and other is the bravery of our army. Agreed, army people need to be encouraged but in any public service accountability should be a part.

    Reply
  9. K S chauhan

    When we secured independence from Britishers no one would have thought that one day politicians will criticise even armymen for petty benefits. Freedom fighters would have suffered pain if they were to look at present scenario.

    Reply
  10. Niraj garg

    Why only Army why not all defence forces and even paramilitary forces which lay their lives for stability and peace in the country. The country needs to give our men their due share of respect.

    Reply
  11. Presha gandhi

    Just wanted to say how much we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work and effort you all put in to producing this website. It is a great credit to everyone and I am sure will be a great success.

    Reply
  12. Rohan Patel

    Just finished reading your article and wanted to congratulate you on your compelling abilities. Good luck for the future work.

    Reply
  13. Aakash Khalwinkar

    I have read so many posts about the blogger lovers however this paragraph is in fact a fastidious paragraph, keep it up.

    Reply
  14. Shakti Niranjan

    I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have introduced for your post. They are very convincing and will certainly work.Thank you for the post.

    Reply
  15. Keshaw srivastava

    Great task on this publish. I enjoy the way you displayed your info as well as the way a person achieved it significant and also obvious to be aware of. Thanks a great deal.

    Reply
  16. Shweta Chauhan

    I love looking through an article that can make men and women think. Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment.

    Reply
  17. Rajan Raghu

    This site definitely has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and did not know who to ask.

    Reply
  18. Karthik Aniket

    Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that is required on the web, someone with a bit of originality.

    Reply
  19. Akshit Banik

    You definitely realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people should read this and understand this side of your story.

    Reply
  20. Hema Bajaj

    Rarely do I come across a blog that is both educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

    Reply
  21. Abhinav Misra

    it is actually a nice and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us informed like this.

    Reply
  22. Shivansh Gupta

    This is a very good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate info Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article.

    Reply
  23. shyam kumar

    An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you ought to publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about such topics. To the next. Cheers..

    Reply
  24. Utkarsh Prakash

    A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more about this subject, it may not be a taboo subject but typically folks do not discuss these subjects. To the next. Many thanks..

    Reply
  25. Prema Mishra

    It is always exciting to read through articles from other authors and use a little something from other sites.

    Reply
  26. Priyanshu Sethi

    Hi friends, nice piece of writing and good arguments commented at this place, I am in fact enjoying by these.

    Reply
  27. Prema Awasthi

    I have learn several just right stuff here. Certainly price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you set to create such a fantastic informative web site.

    Reply
  28. Akshansh Prakash

    Hi there, yeah this post is genuinely nice and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.

    Reply
  29. vinayak sharma

    Way cool. Some extremely valid points. I appreciate you writing this post plus the rest of the website is really good.

    Reply
  30. vinay rawat

    Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe that this amazing site needs much more attention. I will probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the advice.

    Reply
  31. Prabha Sharma

    it is very straightforward to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this article at this web site.

    Reply
  32. Kartik Vishwa

    Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It is always interesting to read through content from other authors and practice something from their web sites.

    Reply
  33. Abhinay Roddey

    I should be leaving this one liner for your hard work. Great knowledge and good command over writing. Long way to go.

    Reply
  34. Karan Pratap

    Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have really loved browsing your weblog posts. In any case I will be subscribing on your rss feed and I hope you write once more very soon.

    Reply
  35. Kartik Anupam

    Ahaa, its pleasant dialogue about this piece of writing at this place at this weblog, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.

    Reply
  36. Baby Singh

    I need to to thank you for this wonderful read.. I certainly loved every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to look at new stuff you post…

    Reply
  37. Priyansha Bannerji

    Quality posts is the important to be a focus for the people to visit the web page, that is what this web site is providing.

    Reply
  38. Ayush Barmeda

    I am very happy to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read. I definitely liked every little bit of it and i also have you saved to fav to see new information in your site.

    Reply
  39. Achiyut Sharma

    Hello very cool website. Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionally.I am glad to search out numerous useful information here within the publish, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

    Reply
  40. Sukh nath

    My family always say that I am killing my time here at net, however I know I am getting know-how all the time by reading such good articles.

    Reply
  41. Jai Prakash

    Hi there to all, how is the whole thing, I think every one is getting more from this web site, and your views are pleasant designed for new users.

    Reply
  42. Mansi Mishra

    This is undoubtedly the most clean and clear form of writing that have seen so far. Congrats to attain this level.

    Reply
  43. Rajjat sagar

    I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and keep checking for brand new information.

    Reply
  44. Suresh Nadi

    Just spent a few very enjoyable minutes looking at the site. Excellent. Well done. Overall very good: clean, easy to navigate, informative and, importantly, interesting.

    Reply
  45. Trapti Singhal

    Your style is very unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have got the opportunity.

    Reply
  46. James rao

    I do not even know how I ended up here, however I assumed this publish was great. I do not recognize who you are however certainly you are going to a well-known blogger in the event you are not already. Cheers.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Rajjat sagar Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *