BY RSN SINGH
On 7 April 2014, IED blasts by the Maoists killed three security forces personnel and injured eight in Aurangabad district of Bihar. Those killed belonged to the CRPF, which included a Deputy Commandant, Indrajeet Singh. The district of Aurangabad has experienced Maoist attacks with vulgar regularity every three to four months. In fact, 60 percent of fatal causalities inflicted by the Maoists in Bihar have been in the districts of Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui.
It was a heart rending sight to hear implorations by a profusely bleeding CRPF personnel for evacuation. He repeatedly said that he had two small children and family to support and needed to be saved.
This author had somewhat a similar experience in the 80s while serving on the Siachen Glacier. It was at 20,000 ft., the temperature being -55 degree Celsius. The neighbouring post separated by another hill feature, had come under fire and one of the soldiers had received a burst of Medium Machine Gun fire on his abdomen area. Repeated efforts by Cheetah helicopters to evacuate him were unsuccessful because of very heavy fire from the enemy. This author meanwhile was in constant conversation with the bleeding soldier so as to distract him till his evacuation. Three hours hence, his radio set fell silent.
The above incident was at Siachen Glacier, an area where no journalist can make ‘stories’.
In Aurangabad, a journalist could reach the location where medical teams could not despite being on major road axis! The journalist had a field day in filing his ‘story’. To make his ‘story’ sensational the rank of the imploring and bleeding CRPF Constable (Dilip), was changed to Deputy Commandant (Indrajeet Singh). His ‘story’ took a callous turn when he began questioning the perniciously bleeding Constable about the details of the mine blast. It was only in the evening that it was clarified the Deputy Commandant had died much before and the constable is still alive.
This journalistic omission or commission or both, is symptomatic of the blasé attitude of the ‘press’ with regard to the casualties of security forces.
In Siachen, the jawan bled to death in defending the frontiers of the country, and at Aurangabad, the Deputy Commandant and his two men from the CRPF died while defending ‘democracy’ in India. They were engaged in election related security duties. Without frontiers there can be no India and without democracy there can be no freedom and liberty. The security situation in the country therefore desperately demands that our policy makers and the citizens begin to identify ‘external enemies’ and ‘internal enemies’.
In Siachen, the jawan sacrificed his life so that the ‘gates to Delhi’ are not flung open for the enemy to come to Delhi and slap our citizens. It is another matter that during this election time the theatrics of a man slapping a fledgling political leader dominated the media eclipsing the sacrifice of the CRPF personnel. But for sacrifice of such personnel, the Maoists when in power in Delhi, would declare such road-shows by political leaders as ‘reactionary’ activity in ultra-leftist parlance. In that event, the intellectual support to them in Delhi would be in abundance from extortionists, lawyers, journalists and so-called intellectuals, who now crowd the ranks of ‘Aam Aadmi Party’. The theatrics would be irreversible, as the Maoists believe in ‘One Party Rule’.
The people of India therefore must realize that their very right to ‘vote’ entails vigilance and sacrifice of security forces.
When soldiers are beheaded on the Line of Control (LoC), it is the handiwork of the military-intelligence complex of Pakistan. When there is a bomb blast within India, they are orchestrated by the ISI – Jihadi combine. The same combine has now struck nexus with the Maoists, who also enjoy the ideological and financial backing of various ultra-leftist organizations in European Countries. The same countries have played no less role in destroying the fabric of Nepal. One of the major sources of funding of the ISI is drug smuggling. In the district of Aurangabad too, swathes of territory under Maoist control are under ‘opium cultivation’, something which has been screened on television many times.
Therefore, the people of India must realize that proxy war does not extend to Kashmir alone, and is not confined to jihadi terror but extends to Maoist terror as well.
The Pakistan sponsored jihadis in a brazen attempt tried to bomb a political rally in Patna in October 2013, the Maoists on the other hand are now trying to derail the election process by issuing boycott calls and killing security forces. Where is the doubt, therefore in deciding who constitutes the ranks of India’s enemies?
If the Maoists enjoy popular support, then why ‘boycott calls’? If they are well-wishers of the people, then why destroy electric pylons and communication towers? It is the media, and not entirely misplaced, which hailed the development initiative by Nitish Kumar, in the last seven years in Bihar. Then, how is it that the numbers of districts consumed by Maoists have increased with every passing year? As per the last count in 2013, it was 23 out of 38 districts!
Allegedly, there have been insinuations about the Speaker of the Bihar Assembly being in truck with the Maoists. There are also suggestions that the present government in the Jharkhand owes half its seats to manipulation by Maoists. Come elections and the extortion industry of the Maoists burgeons. This nexus between some politicians, political parties and Maoists provides impetus to the geographical spread of the Maoist terror. This explains the spread of Maoist terror in Bihar. This also explains the presence of Maoists in the ranks of ‘Aam Aadmi Party’. The overt political attack from the Maoists in concert with the jihadis is therefore simultaneously on the conducive states as well as the National Capital.
Can there be free and fair voting around Dhibra Police Station in Aurangabad, where the three CRPF personnel were killed recently? The SHO Amar Kumar is also injured. It is not that the Indian establishment is not alive to the threat. The number of phases in which the elections are conducted betrays the internal security situation of the country.
In the ultimate analysis, the soldier at Siachen and the Deputy Commandant bled to death, to arrest the loss of blood Indian ‘democracy’ attributed to enemies outside and within. Two generation of PhD aspirants have graduated from being ‘students’ to ‘guides’ on ‘Kashmir’ and ‘Left Wing Extremism’. These so-called experts armed with PhDs under the patronage of an academic prime minister have brought this country to ‘brink of collapse’. No more PhDs, Mr Modi, if you want to salvage India.
(RSN Singh is a former military intelligence officer who later served in the Research & Analysis Wing. The author of two books: Asian Strategic and Military Perspective and Military Factor in Pakistan, he is also a Guest Blogger with Canary Trap. The opinions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of Canary Trap or any employee thereof)