ROUGE OUTLOOK MAGZINE:LETTER FROM RETIRED ARMY OFFICER

This is exactly what is infamously known as Yellow Journalism ~ crooked mentality, go to any extent to acheive sensalism and commercial exploitation of a gullible public, in a country where practically any body can get away with anything -- esp the media.This article and the dirty pic on the cover is nothing but character assassination of the Army as a whole. These are the guys ( Editors and the rookie journalists ) who certainly don't have anybody from their falilies/relatives in the Army - hence they have no sense of propriety. Dear Sir, The cover of Outlook, dated 20 Feb 2017 – OFFICER AND A ROGUE, ,is not only in bad taste but an affront to all the Soldiers. How can a responsible magazine like Outlook say “army men often go berserk in Kashmir”, when they are actively engaged in fighting insurgents and terrorists, in a not very friendly environment? And, what is appalling is that you chose to call all armymen ‘Rogue’ because some Hizbullah terrorist called Mushtaq, feels so (box on page 35 of your issue). You quote him saying that some rogues in the army steal money, gold and jewellery, during the search operations. To emphasise your point, the cover picture shows a Maj Gen rank officer ,with the striped T shirt and red bandana, usually associated with criminals, in movies. As a Veteran, I take objection to it and consider it derogatory to not only the Army officers but all the Armed Force Officers and Veterans of the Country. As per dictionary, a Rogue is someone who has destructive tendencies or is unpredictable. I feel proud of my Army when a terrorist says that, for the Indian Army. It is his fear which speaks. But, when Outlook takes that as the ‘holy truth’ and puts it on its cover, it is nothing but sacrilegious, to say the least. If this was the norm to be followed, would any profession in the country, including judiciary, bureaucracy, press, police or even teachers be excluded from your ‘rouge list’ ? Or is it because it increases your circulation, without any retribution from the Forces ? If the magzine has any respect for the Indian Soldier,I request that the Editor along with his special correspondent visit one of the Army Outposts in Kashmir and spend a few days with the ‘Rogues’, to understand what goes on in an insurgency operation. With Regards Col Tej Dalal HAMMER OF AUTHORITY Manoj Joshi opines about the antiquated law of the Army and calls the military, a kind of dictatorship functioning within a democracy and its biggest weakness is that it is its own police, forensic, judge and jury. He further suggests that to modernize the System, a culture must be established where not only illegal orders are challenged but even draconian discipline. It has become fashionable, of late to judge the functioning of the Armed Forces, without understanding their job requirements, work culture and ethos. Only one, who has experienced the life, hardship and constraints under which they work, can understand their functioning and offer sane and rational advise. Firstly, the Armed Forces (Army, Navy & Air Force) do not follow democracy. Some of their Fundamental Rights are abrogated. They cannot form associations or unions, cannot go on strike, or sit on ‘dharna’ or protest, cannot boycott orders or work etc etc. They cannot even go on leave without prior permission. Imagine, what would the discipline be, if total democracy was to be granted to a soldier. Some limitations/restrictions are necessities for the nature of their job. Secondly, we have independent police, forensic and judiciary, in the country yet millions of cases are pending in Courts. The so called ‘weakness’ of having all these within the Army ensures speedy justice. How many civilians faced punishment in the Tehalka case ? Whereas all Army officers faced harsh punishment, within a year of the case coming to light. It is not who controls them but how honestly each one of them implements the law. Finally, when a soldier goes into attack, facing onslaught of the enemy’s weaponry, will it not be ‘illegal’ or ‘draconian’ to order him into the attack ? Is that what you want to be incorporated in the Army judiciary ? No other profession demands of an employee to face certain death. No amount of pay will send an employee into hail of bullets. It is a different class of motivation, absolute dedication and unflinching faith in the leadership that takes a soldier into the battle zone. This is what makes the soldier stand apart from his civil brethrens. So, please do not try to bring changes unwarranted. It may do irreparable damage to the morale and spirit of comradeship of the Forces, which take years to build. Gurgaon, Col TS Dalal (Retd)