Tweets by Bakshi, Panag, and Acharya expose the massive rot within the veterans’ camp 

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Singh Rawat, along with his wife and 11 other senior armed forces officials died in a freak helicopter crash on Wednesday. The crash took place shortly after the Russian-made Mi-17 V5 chopper took off from the Air Force base in Sulur, Coimbatore, for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills. 

While a cheerful and jovial response from Khalistani, Islamists, and cross-border fundamentalists celebrating the death of the CDS was expected- the armed forces members and their hostility towards their chief also came out in the open. 

Colonel Baljit Bakshi (Retd.) and his Karma remarks

Veterans of their field took to social media platforms to showcase their mental ineptitude and jealousy for a decorated individual. 

One Col Baljit Bakshi (Retd.) took to Twitter and rejoiced the news of the accident of CDS. In the now-deleted tweet, Bakshi without taking a name targeted CDS and said, “Karma has its own way of dealing with people” 

https://twitter.com/aimingforlight/status/1468805109370916864

Ajai Shukla and his insensitive post

Ajai Shukla, a retired Colonel of the Indian Army who routinely writes defence columns regarding policy and production in Business Standard and has earlier worked with DD News and NDTV showed his true fickle nature.  

Barely a few hours after the official announcement of Rawat Ji’s death by the Indian Air Force came and while the country was in mourning, Shukla took to Twitter to post three photos of a cake with the caption “Yummy”.  

It is understandable that people have their own lives but coming from a retired senior army officer who must be knowing that putting out such pictures at the time of national mourning is insensitive- Ajai showed a complete lack of empathy and maturity. 

Read More: All those who celebrated CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and wife’s tragic demise

Anil Duhoon and Anuma Acharya – regurgitating their evil brain cells

Akin to Col. Baljit Bakshi, another senior army official named Lt. Col Anil Duhoon who despite donning the same uniform as CDS took the opportunity to settle scores. He targeted the CDS without taking his name by tweeting, “Karma always hits back,” 

Another retired official named Wg Cdr Anuma Acharya took to Twitter to regurgitate her hatred for the departed CDS. She tweeted, “Role Khatam, khel khatam, Jai Hind” (Role over, Game over, Jai Hind). 

https://twitter.com/aimingforlight/status/1468805109370916864

A rough look at Anuma’s timeline is enough to suggest that her hatred for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government has transcended to such an extent that she can barely differentiate between what is good-bad for the country from her ideology’s twisted agendas. 

Panag announced Shri Rawat’s death long before official confirmation

While the whole nation was praying for the well-being of Late Shri Bipin Rawat Ji, Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag went into irresponsible haste to become a news bulletin on his own. 

The first report in the media about the accident emerged around 12:20 PM. Though reports of various people dying in the crash were circulating, it was still not ascertained whether Shri Bipin Rawat had survived or not. No official bulletin had confirmed it even till late in the evening. 

However, Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag, a retired lieutenant general seemed to be in more hurry than any of India’s TRP hungry news Indian news portals. At 2:52 PM, he made an irresponsible tweet claiming that General Rawat had died in the luckless crash. 

https://twitter.com/rwac48/status/1468511205538996228

Up until no news portal had reported his death. Moreover, official handles of the Indian defence ministry and any of the three major Armed forces had not passed a single statement regarding the health of Shri Rawat Ji. 

 Read More: Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag declared Gen. Bipin Rawat dead even before official confirmation 

The rot in the veteran camp 

All three Indian Armed forces are closely knitted units. The soldiers consider each other brothers, the juniors bestow extreme respect towards their seniors. Hierarchy is closely followed. However, like any professional institution, the forces are not impervious to corruption and clash of egos.  

The rotten apples exist and one has to make do in the same. However, even if someone had personal agendas against the CDS or didn’t agree with his ideology – celebrating and mocking the belief of the mourners is something that shows that the person is corrupted to the very core. 

The army can teach you certain skills but humanity is what one is born with. Keeping the light of humanity ignited throughout is the choice of a person. By sneering at the death of a person who made millions weep, such individuals have perhaps extinguished that light amongst themselves. 

In their arrogance and inflated egos, they think they have risen above that sense of brotherhood in the forces. They become elitist and full of themselves. By passing insensitive remarks, these retired veterans insult the very rank and uniform that made them, and it’s unfortunate.

Condemning such individuals that served the forces, in whatever little capacity, does not bring any happiness to anyone but it’s time that such black-hearted people are called out.