New Delhi: Defending his troops over the human shield controversy, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that his men need innovative ways to fight the “dirty war” in Kashmir.
Rawat spoke to a news agency. He said: “When people are throwing stones and petrol bombs at Army personnel, he cannot tell his men to ‘just wait and die’.”
“This is a proxy war and proxy war is a dirty war. It is played in a dirty way. The rules of engagements are there when the adversary comes face-to-face and fights with you. It is a dirty war…. That is where innovation comes in. You fight a dirty war with innovations,” Rawat said.
“People are throwing stones at us, people are throwing petrol bombs at us. If my men ask me what do we do, should I say, just wait and die? I will come with a nice coffin with a national flag and I will send your bodies home with honour. Is it what I am supposed to tell them as chief? I have to maintain the morale of my troops who are operating there,” Gen Rawat said.
Rawat went on to indicate that stone pelters had complicated the security situation in Kashmir, saying his force would find it easier to quell protests if instead of stones, weapons were used.
“In fact, I wish these people, instead of throwing stones at us, were firing weapons at us. Then I would have been happy. Then I could do what I (want to do),” Rawat said.
The Army chief’s statement comes days after Major Leetul Gogoi of the 53 Rashtriya Rifles was awarded a Commendation Card by General Rawat for the former’s role in countering insurgency in Kashmir.
Major Gogoi sparked nationwide controversy after tying a Kashmiri local to an Army jeep. Gogoi, in a statement delivered recently, said his actions were aimed at saving the lives of the men under his command as well as those of stone pelters in Kashmir.
