Machil encounter accused deservingly punished
The Army has done well to take to task its rogue elements who had conducted a fake encounter in Machil in Jammu & Kashmir in 2010, killing three innocent youths. With the General Court Martial handing over life-terms to five Army personnel involved in the tragic episode, the Army has demonstrated that it does not hesitate to give exemplary punishment to those who step out of the line of duty. The stiff action should also silence critics of the Army, especially in Kashmir valley, who have been saying that the Armed Forces in the region were using the armour of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to get away with atrocities. Such had been their distrust that, soon after the incident came to light and an inquiry was set in motion, these critics had already ruled that the Army would protect the guilty by way of a blatant cover-up operation. Such statements further fuelled the existing discontent among the people and contributed in some measure to the spate of violence which erupted in the valley consequent to the encounter. More than 100 protestors were killed by the police and the security forces in a bid to contain the violent flare-up, and this only worsened the situation. Unfortunately, political parties played to the gallery and added fuel to fire. Of course, the five Army personnel, including a Commanding Officer, were guilty. They had lured three innocent labourers on the pretext of providing them employment, taken them to a remote location and shot them, and later claimed they had gunned down infiltrators from across the border. They brought disgrace to the reputation of the Indian Army and sullied the image of the other brave jawans who had been stationed there to protect the lives of people and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The punishment should set an example to others and remind them that they are there protect innocents and hunt down anti-India elements, and not to stage fake encounters.
It is to be hoped that the unfortunate incident will provoke the Army top brass to review its policy of rewarding personnel on the number of encounters they have under their belt. It cannot be denied that jawans should be felicitated for their courage, but such recognition cannot become a driving force for the personnel to stage fake encounters, and that too of innocent citizens. Clearly, the five convicted Army men were motivated by money and recognition alone, and they had abandoned all else to achieve that. Army men who are driven by monetary gains to kill innocents can also be easily won over by the enemy and turned against their own country. They are a blot on the Services and the nation. The Army in Jammu & Kashmir is working under tremendous pressure and its jawans do err at times. So long as those mistakes are not malicious, they can be viewed with some consideration. Therefore, it would be wrong to paint the entire Indian Army in black, post-Machil verdict.