Trivializing the martyrdom

Shiban Khaibri  

Countrymen remain beholden for all times to those of its soldiers, who lay down their lives defending the country so that the people may feel protected and secured to enjoy their lives. Death is a fact which horrifies even the bravest. Something peculiar, however, the Almighty has bestowed upon a soldier which makes him to brave the ominous-ness of lurking death while fighting an enemy of his country. Indian soldier is a step further in that he defies death and its incessant fear while facing an enemy. There are innumerable instances of our such heroes , that is why, we at numerous occasions go beyond certain conventions in deciding about whether a flower, believed to be a symbol and a mark of reverential respect, be offered to a worshipped deity, or to a nymph, or to a celestial bride or to an honest political leader.

None of these deserve a flower in comparison to those brave hearts who march ahead to save their country and attain martyrdom. We have very intense literary contours and interpretations over this and traditions as well. Don't we very often say that every year the martyrdom shall reverentially be commemorated there, where martyrs' last rites were performed and sing in patriotic chorus …"Wattan par marney waloon ka baqi yahi  nishan hoga".

It is a natural corollary, therefore, that we must have a responsible and reverential commitment on a continuous basis, for all times to come, through all generations, for our martyrs and never should there be any occasion or reason of eroding of their memories. They never deserve to be forgotten. It is however, painful to see that the country's Home Minister

should attempt to trivialize the martyrdom of Lance Naik Hemraj by saying," It is an old issue, let us not rake it up again, let us close the chapter." This "historic" statement was given by Sushil Kumar Shindey on Jan 10, this year when pressmen asked him about martyr Hemraj's severed head (read sheesh) having been paraded in a Pakistan town as a trophy about which some TV Channels had aired the footage of the videos about such inhuman and barbaric act. It may be recalled that last year on Jan 8 in an ambush by Pakistani soldiers, Hemraj was killed along with another soldier while patrolling the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, his head was dismembered by the attackers in an extreme inhuman act. Instead of giving any convincing reply, Shindey termed the beheading of our soldier and parading of it as a trophy in Pakistan as a mere "old incident and that now everything is fine at the border." In a press conference he also advised the media not to "spread fire on this issue."

He did not stop at that and said, "several such videos emerge, do not broadcast (meaning telecasting and printing) them." The question is whether martyrdom of a soldier in particular like that of Hemraj can be just a simple thing as his head was severed mercilessly, throwing to winds all norms of humanity and civilization. God has not created man in this world to behave with a fellow human being in a savage barbaric way even if from another country, religion, colour etc. The Home Minister, instead of at least expressing regrets for which he had to expend no effort or lose anything, chose with his unsavoury remarks to demean and dilute the supreme sacrifice of the soldier, terming it as "an old issue". Can martyrs' memories and respect for them be prescribed for a fixed small period, say 6 months or a year? Applying that yard stick, are we then to forget our heroes like Ram Prasad Bismal, Baghat Singh, Sukhdev, Raj Guru, Chander, Shekhar Azad, Ushfaq Ullah Khan and thousands of other martyrs who laid down their lives for us, for this country and for our future generations?

Another question arises as to whether justice and its dispensation can have expiry dates? Another question arises as to at whose instance and why, proof was suppressed in respect of the guilt of Pakistan in the macabre of beheading and then making videos of the severed head , its parading and its displaying as a trophy? Is it a fact that the video displayed on the TV Channels has already been in the possession of the government since May 2013 and it has not used it to name and shame Pakistan in the polity of nations? The nation needs answers, the media needs answers, the martyr's family needs answers. Is there anyone in the current dispensation to furnish some answers and explain the causes of apathy and indifference towards such a sensitive issue?

It is not the end of the story. There are reportedly 9 such heart rendering Pakistani CDs with 90 proofs of video recording not only of Hemraj but how Pakistani troops were aiming at and attacking our security personnel guarding the country's posts at the LOC. A leading TV Channel of the country claimed to be in possession of such video material. Videos have also been made by Pakistani troops and other agencies of ambushing Indian patrol and firing at them. What is the motive behind Pakistan making such videos is nothing excepting motivating young people to join the armed terrorists groups to infiltrate into our territories and create vast disturbances, to derive sadistic pleasures at death and destruction and to propagate among the prospective recruits about their so called upper hand as facing no deterrent reply from the victim country.

These videos are glaring proof of war crimes and a fit case for the international community to call the bluff of Pakistan and its repeated debased approach in solving problems, if any, with this country. Turning a blind eye by the government to the problem or advising the media not to report because "wrong messages are getting conveyed" is fraught with dangerous repercussions. We must bear it in mind as experience in dealing with Pakistan suggests, that in that country the army, the ISI and the Lashker -e- Toiba are working in unison and in tandem against this country our offer of friendship to and negotiations with Pakistan not- withstanding.

The Home Minister appears to have other priorities like on recurring basis, playing minority card as he recently reiterated in a press meet that he has again written to all state Chief Ministers "to be very careful while arresting the members of the minority community." It clearly means that the CMs need not be equally careful while arresting members of the majority community. It is appearing all mysterious and motivated. This is no playing of communalism in the political philosophy of the Congress and the Congress leader Home Minister Shinde but secularism. In his opinion, it also could not be any de-motivating exercise undertaken for the Police who have to toil hard to nab a criminal of whichever community. He is bogged with another more important problem than the pressing national issues and in his opinion, Sharad Pawar of NCP could be a better PM and he would be happy seeing him as PM since "Pawar had brought me in politics" and that Pawar has been a contender "for PM's post since 1992". It is ironic that the level of governance of the UPA2 is continuously plummeting and none appears in the dispensation in arresting such slippage and issues like national security too are taken in a lackadaisical way.

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Courtesy: Shiban Khaibri and The Daily Excelsior: 14th January, 2024