It is distressing that the Indian political class has not reacted forcefully to the statements made by Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat ....
It is distressing that the Indian political class has not reacted forcefully to the statements made by Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat. The “mainstream” media has also chosen to remain silent. Speaking at a media event recently, Rawat said Kashmiris were now offering to “lynch terrorists themselves”. This, he claimed, was a “very positive sign”. Social media accounts from Kashmir had expressed these sentiments, Rawat claimed.
What Rawat said next was even more sinister – it suggested that he meant to use the people of Kashmir as a shield for potential excesses by security forces. He claimed Kashmiris had offered to do the lynching or “make arrangements that they get lynched”. Does he mean that evening if local residents are not involved in the lynchings, every lynching is, in fact, arranged by them? Who would be carrying them out at their instance – the police or the army?
That the man who is supposed to be looking after the country’s defences speaks the language of street violence should concern all of us. That Rawat endorsed such violence and drew applause from the elite audience is frightening. That the general should forget the implications of his statement is also frightening.
The general’s record does not inspire confidence either. He...
