 "15 years of Vijay Diwas: Does India treat its veterans well?")
Every year, a wreath-laying ceremony is performed at the Dras War Memorial and the Amar Jawan Jyothi at the India Gate, New Delhi. Those are just about the only things that the country as a whole does for the martyrs who laid down their lives in a war that killed 537 Indian soldiers.
“Firstly, we as Indians do not value our soldiers. Vijay Diwas you will only remember on the 26th or the 25th because its good news for two days. Next day you forget. It’s basically a media event because it gives you news for two days. Barkha Dutt interviews two widows and holds their hands. We are basically doing everything for projection. If you ask me, frankly we don’t deserve the army we have,” a Kargil war hero said.
Callousness about the matter is not only restricted to the general public, but extends to higher officials in the defence as well.
“Even my own hierarchy is not bothered about the number of chaps who died. They are just bothered that we should capture the feature. When I myself gave my report that I have lost eight more chaps in the attack, my senior said that’s a small price to pay for victory. I thought no, I would not like to have a victory like this where 15 of my soldiers have died. I wouldn't like to see the dead bodies of my soldiers for a victory like this. Because we as a nation just do not treat our soldiers right,“ he added.
“There was a general perception that the UPA government didn’t do enough, as they looked at it more in terms of an NDA govt win instead of an Indian National Army win. Politicizing it is really sad because the soldiers didn’t give up their lives for a political party they did it for the nation,” Says (retd) Col Ashwini Channan, who was posted at the army HQ during Operation Vijay.
“If you look at other countries, like the US, they all celebrate a veterans day. Now, my take is that there should be a national day to commemorate the Army’s contribution to the country for all the wars it has fought,” he added, further.
The ministry of defence has cases where war widows are fighting for a pension amount of just Rs 782 in the Supreme Court. In some cases, the widows are not even aware that they are entitled to pension.
“Civilians completely lack respect for defense personnel. Even the establishment is no better. I have personally faced apathy from organisations like the CDA and State Bank of India. Even the passport office has been indifferent when it comes to handling documentation such as address proof. They should be sensitized to the special circumstances of people in the army,” a serving Captain in the Indian Army said.
“But the rot goes further. Recently, in Delhi metro, I came across a decorated JCO in uniform and not a single person got up to offer him a seat or display the slightest mark of respect. Jawans in my unit and others forever complain about harassment of their families and threat to their properties in the rural and semi-urban areas from which many of them come. It's only in times of war or when there is a tragedy that people wake up to respect those who protect them. On several occasions, people have been enamoured more by the few entitlements that they consider perks, rather than the service that I and all others in defence render,” he added.
Accounts like these show why the country needs to reflect the way it treats its defense personnel.