The 13th day of the Kurukshetra War will always be remembered for two reasons; (i). The Chakravyuha Formation (the vicious circle), and (ii). Abhimanyu’s bravado. As many of you already know, Abhimanyu only knew how to break into the Chakravyuha, but not exit it, but being brave as he was, he broke into it, and we know how he confronted his enemies single-handedly, braving tougher opponents such as Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Karna, etc and also beating them. After a devastating attack by him against the Kauravas, he was killed against the rules of war.
We Indians are so used this story that we use it as a reference in our day-to-day talks. In this light, I would like to draw a reference of Chakravyuha and Abhimanyu in context of a pressing issue. The Indian Army as an Organization can be considered Abhimanyu.
The Indian Army is fighting a multi-faceted battle, right from the border to propaganda battle. They are being targeted from almost all sides, from the men on the other side of the border, also by a few serpents within. To understand this, we must go back to last year, though it has been happening for quite some time now, it was only last year that the attack on the Armed Forces escalated.
Last year in October, the Pakistan Senate passed a bill and here are a few points:
If one reads through the lines carefully, he will notice the stand taken by a few media houses are in tune with Pakistan’s establishment. A few media houses have gone to the extent to say that the stone-pelters are innocent and it is the Army on-ground which is to be blamed for their counter.
Though they have not mentioned ‘Indian Journalist’s’ it seems that our journalists have been doing a great job for them and making their task of attacking India easier. Unfortunately, without analyzing (or is it?) the ground realities, they are playing into the hands of the Pakistan establishment. Though many might be of the opinion that such propaganda might not harmful, it would be necessary to remind one of the 1971 War and the Independence of Bangladesh where India too employed propaganda for destabilizing Pakistan and showing the world the realities faced by the then East Pakistan. Though the propaganda against India might be false, it can always gain what they seek – sympathy for Kashmir and Kashmiris across the world.
Though this is not a direct attack against the Army, one should notice that they are focusing on highlighting Maoist Insurgency. It is not an unknown fact that ISI is funding and helping Maoists, but also recently, the former JNUSU President equated Maoists with Indian Army by calling them martyrs. This person also stated the Indian Army personnel’s rape women in Kashmir. And since, he has become a darling of the Indian media. In fact, anyone who speaks against the Indian Army are praised for trying to state the truth.
“Those Naxalites killed by Security forces should be considered as Martyrs”
#KanhaiyaKumar ~ those Naxalites killed by Security forces should be considered as Martyrs & Punish who killed them pic.twitter.com/1BocRYJ6xm
— Yashwant Sinha (@iYashwant) March 5, 2016
The Indian Army has been accused of Human Rights Violations for a long time now and AFSPA has been always criticized and demands have been in place to repel it. Voices against AFSPA are being used as weapons of propaganda by the enemy state, and currently crying foul of human rights violations is an important weapon in their armory which is meant to be used in the international platform and our desi liberals are playing in hand with them.
The Kashmir issue recently has been highlighted by the media again and again, and the army has been blamed for maiming young children.
Using young children to gain sympathy is one of the most commonly used props across the world. The Indian Army thus has been shown as a symbol of an oppressor by the enemy and their set task set has been achieved.
The Indian Army needs to be shielded from this vicious game. And this can be done only by us – the common citizens of India. This can be done only if we criticize the fiberals showing the Army in a bad light and making sure they don’t repeat.
We must not take any anti-army propaganda kindly. The enemy state is trying to push all its resources to target the Army from their side and also using some our very own people to support them, and as an unspoken rule, the Indian Army doesn’t accept or refute majority of the accusations as they deem it unnecessary to answer such accusations. But we who have the capacity to answer should retort in a language they best understand.
Let us make sure that our Army doesn’t have to become Abhimanyu!
