Jeetu the Fauji: Military needs to firewall its men from communal feuds

The military needs to firewall its men from the religious feuds unleashed by politicians. The task is complicated because the majoritarian neta invokes patriotism and nationalism - values the soldier

Before we get totally distracted with the assembly election results on December 11, it is imperative to consider the case of Jeetu the Fauji.

A soldier on home leave from active duty in Jammu and Kashmir is spotted in the lynch mob in Bulandshahr. According to the police, video grabs establish that he was not just an innocent by-stander but an active participant in the murderous crowd which went on to take a police inspector’s life. The army has handed him over to the Uttar Pradesh police. However, it is yet to be established whether it was Jeetu who fired the