An Agniveer Comes Home for Leave and Engages in Crime. This is a Wake-up Call
"In present times, expecting politicians to introspect and acknowledge their mistakes is to ask for the moon," writes (Retd) Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh.
By: (Retd) Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh
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An Agniveer comes home for leave, unsure about his future prospects. He buys a private weapon and joins the world of crime. He is then caught in a vehicle-snatching case and arrested with other gang members.
This is what happened in a recent arrest case in Punjab's Mohali recently. It is true that a swallow does not make a summer – but the realm of security necessitates that you don’t take chances. Reading the signs, especially the inevitable, is key.
As Sanjiv Krishan Sood wrote, "We already have a large restive youth population facing unprecedented levels of unemployment, being exploited by fundamentalist organisations for hate crimes. The addition of trained but unemployed Agniveers in society could lead to its further militarisation."
Honest and acknowledged mistakes always make better soldiers. Contrary to widely held perceptions of infallibility (especially with the recent air of manufactured jingoism) that civilians often attribute to this institution, no other institution introspects its operations, procedures or even doctrines more dispassionately, truthfully, and ethically, as the Indian Armed Forces.
Read the full opinion piece HERE.
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