JOIN USRewarding a person for an egregious crime he has committed, instead of punishing him, is wrong and perverse. It is especially so when the army which has to uphold a code of conduct and obey the law of the land does it. The Commendation Card awarded by Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat to Major Leetul Gogoi, who had ordered the use of a civilian as a human shield by strapping him on to the bonnet of a jeep and parading him in Kashmir last month, compounds the wrong. It also makes the army complicit in the outrage. Major Gogoi has tried to justify his action by claiming that he was trying to save lives. The action also found support among some unthinking sections and clamouring TV anchors driven by a false sense of ultra nationalism. But right-thinking people have condemned it and have seen it as another low touched by the army in its conduct in Kashmir.
The army chief’s commendation certificate came when a court of enquiry ordered by the army itself and an investigation by the J&K police are being conducted into the major’s action. These enquiries have now been rendered farcical and inconsequential by Gen Rawat’s appreciation of Gogoi’s decision. The PDP, which is a ruling party in the state, has called it improper. Retired military officers, including a former chief, have criticised it. The innocent and humiliated victim has seen the decision as a murder of justice and support of abuse of power and oppression. The army chief’s decision has sent out the message that the army would not only refuse to find fault with its men but would support them even if they committed grave misconduct. This can only encourage them to commit more misdeeds and acts of lawlessness, and give them a sense of impunity.
Major Gogoi’s action was a violation of the victim’s right to freedom and dignity and an assault on his human rights. Taking a person hostage is a war crime according to international law and Geneva Convention which India claims to abide by. The fundamental rights of a citizen cannot be abridged by an officer, the army, the government or any other agency in any situation without the due process of law. Major Gogoi took the law into his hands and dishonoured the army, and had to be punished for that. The armed forces should be held to the best standards of conduct and a deviation from them is unacceptable. The army chief who has commended an officer who committed an offence against a helpless individual has tainted himself and the organisation. The taint is on the nation too.