In regards to the India Express June 17, 2010 article entitled "Crackdown on Lalgarh Maoists"
15 killed 8 bodies collected. Three women pictured strung up like game killed on the hunt.Impressive sir. Is this the image you wish to portray? Do these photo releases sing to your victory over the Maoist? Do you not understand, what it is ? What you are doing. Well at least your men were not smiling. It amounts to defiling the profession of arms that is considered sacrosanct around the world. My letter may not be interpreted as advocacy campaign for Maoists; my concerns are to the damage being done to the alleged counter insurgency operation against so called Maoists.
We at Nishan condemn this portrayal of the enemy. It strips the dignity not of them as your enemy but of them as human beings. No person should be put on such ghastly parade after death. All you have done is create martyrs. In those pictures, those your men victimize will see kindred spirits. They will see the fate that awaits them if they don't band together and seek change by whatever means. You are galvanizing the Maoist base constituency against you, not creating fear. They already fear you and your men now you teach them to hate. How many men did you lose in the fire-fight? Was it more than 15? How much hatred have you sown in your arrogance? Do you not expect retaliation to even the score? You're blind.
You continue the circle of violence. You can't end this conflict. You will simply beat them down like weeds or roaches but never kill them all. They will find a corner, a hole or some crack and breed. They will come back as they have in the past strong more determined. These people have nothing to lose. You have stripped them of their dignity, their liberty, and their right to pursue happiness on land that has traditionally been theirs. All this you have done in the name of economic and national progress. Yet, it is not their economic and social elevation you protect. It is a corporate interest and war you fight. The enemy knows this. They know that corporations have bottom lines. If they interfere long enough and consistently enough interest will fade, as another opportunity presents itself. Consider this, people have known for decades Afghanistan is mineral rich but no one has been able to tame the region enough to exploit it.
I doubt you'll tame Red Corridor this way either. Again it's like the Naxalite patron, Charu Mazumdar, said “Only an annihilation campaign” could produce the “new man who will defy death and be free from all thought of Self-interest.” That is what the poor of the region believe. That is the cause they flock to. You have killed 15. They are thousands strong and getting stronger as your men oppress the villagers in their frustration over failure to defeat the enemy. Every rape, every beating, every unlawful detainment and extra judicial killing drives more to the Naxal side of the line. Like ants they will over run you with numbers if not by military means.
I have written the piece not as a social activist but as a security professional on anti insurgency operations who has fought militancy/insurgency all around (Punjab/ Kashmir/ Assam/ Nagaland/ Manipur) the country. Those pictures, your people being sent to their deaths in double digits, and your Inspector General’s (Karkares/Kamtes) getting killed like sitting ducks reflects upon the high standards of training and professionalism and a testimony to leadership of your highly decorated pseudo Generals. Better you make all your DGs/IGs/DIGs/SPs perform as company commander/platoon commander first or simply give them designation of ministers of CRPF/BSF and then allow them to mobilization to drain the public exchequer by getting own CPMF people killed in hordes.
Simply providing disruptive pattern uniforms and arming people with automatic weapons amounts to sacrilege on profession of arms. Please, be aware of the enemy within. Our pseudo Generals are responsible for hundreds of our men in uniform being killed. Holding press conferences after fake encounters/ investigation goof ups in the state police and pleasing political leadership is different than counter insurgency operations. CI Ops are long term battles to win back the trust of people and they are not all about adding to the number of insurgents killed.
Thought you should know.
Mr.P.Chidambaram
Home Minister
Ministry of Home affairs, North block
(Aridaman Jit singh)
New Delhi
Copy to: -
1.General V.K.Singh,Chief of Army staff (To kindly rein in those pseudo Generals and confine them to demonstratively wear Khaki uniforms, lest it erode the trust and respect for men in OZEE, the day it happens this country is doomed. Kindly explore legal remedy)
2. DsG CRPF, BSF, NSG, ITBP (for introspection and corrective steps please)
Aridaman Jit Singh
Director Nishan Justice
Plot No.571, Sector-2
Urban Estate, Kurukshetra
PIN-136131(Haryana)
15 killed 8 bodies collected. Three women pictured strung up like game killed on the hunt.Impressive sir. Is this the image you wish to portray? Do these photo releases sing to your victory over the Maoist? Do you not understand, what it is ? What you are doing. Well at least your men were not smiling. It amounts to defiling the profession of arms that is considered sacrosanct around the world. My letter may not be interpreted as advocacy campaign for Maoists; my concerns are to the damage being done to the alleged counter insurgency operation against so called Maoists.
We at Nishan condemn this portrayal of the enemy. It strips the dignity not of them as your enemy but of them as human beings. No person should be put on such ghastly parade after death. All you have done is create martyrs. In those pictures, those your men victimize will see kindred spirits. They will see the fate that awaits them if they don't band together and seek change by whatever means. You are galvanizing the Maoist base constituency against you, not creating fear. They already fear you and your men now you teach them to hate. How many men did you lose in the fire-fight? Was it more than 15? How much hatred have you sown in your arrogance? Do you not expect retaliation to even the score? You're blind.
You continue the circle of violence. You can't end this conflict. You will simply beat them down like weeds or roaches but never kill them all. They will find a corner, a hole or some crack and breed. They will come back as they have in the past strong more determined. These people have nothing to lose. You have stripped them of their dignity, their liberty, and their right to pursue happiness on land that has traditionally been theirs. All this you have done in the name of economic and national progress. Yet, it is not their economic and social elevation you protect. It is a corporate interest and war you fight. The enemy knows this. They know that corporations have bottom lines. If they interfere long enough and consistently enough interest will fade, as another opportunity presents itself. Consider this, people have known for decades Afghanistan is mineral rich but no one has been able to tame the region enough to exploit it.
I doubt you'll tame Red Corridor this way either. Again it's like the Naxalite patron, Charu Mazumdar, said “Only an annihilation campaign” could produce the “new man who will defy death and be free from all thought of Self-interest.” That is what the poor of the region believe. That is the cause they flock to. You have killed 15. They are thousands strong and getting stronger as your men oppress the villagers in their frustration over failure to defeat the enemy. Every rape, every beating, every unlawful detainment and extra judicial killing drives more to the Naxal side of the line. Like ants they will over run you with numbers if not by military means.
I have written the piece not as a social activist but as a security professional on anti insurgency operations who has fought militancy/insurgency all around (Punjab/ Kashmir/ Assam/ Nagaland/ Manipur) the country. Those pictures, your people being sent to their deaths in double digits, and your Inspector General’s (Karkares/Kamtes) getting killed like sitting ducks reflects upon the high standards of training and professionalism and a testimony to leadership of your highly decorated pseudo Generals. Better you make all your DGs/IGs/DIGs/SPs perform as company commander/platoon commander first or simply give them designation of ministers of CRPF/BSF and then allow them to mobilization to drain the public exchequer by getting own CPMF people killed in hordes.
Simply providing disruptive pattern uniforms and arming people with automatic weapons amounts to sacrilege on profession of arms. Please, be aware of the enemy within. Our pseudo Generals are responsible for hundreds of our men in uniform being killed. Holding press conferences after fake encounters/ investigation goof ups in the state police and pleasing political leadership is different than counter insurgency operations. CI Ops are long term battles to win back the trust of people and they are not all about adding to the number of insurgents killed.
Thought you should know.
Mr.P.Chidambaram
Home Minister
Ministry of Home affairs, North block
(Aridaman Jit singh)
New Delhi
Copy to: -
1.General V.K.Singh,Chief of Army staff (To kindly rein in those pseudo Generals and confine them to demonstratively wear Khaki uniforms, lest it erode the trust and respect for men in OZEE, the day it happens this country is doomed. Kindly explore legal remedy)
2. DsG CRPF, BSF, NSG, ITBP (for introspection and corrective steps please)
Aridaman Jit Singh
Director Nishan Justice
Plot No.571, Sector-2
Urban Estate, Kurukshetra
PIN-136131(Haryana)