The February, 2012 incident, where high drama prevailed at a police post in Pune for nearly two hours after 2 Indian Army officers from the College of Military Engineering, Pune got into an argument with the traffic police. The young officers were intercepted by them for crossing a bridge not meant for two wheeler. Further led to a mini fight between them when a police personal came in and ordered to fine them the maximum amount because once he was held up by Army authorities for ridding his bike without a helmet in the same CME campus from where the army officers came. At that time helmet was not compulsory in the city but it compulsory inside almost all cantonment areas in India. Seemed more of a revenge, than implementing the law at the place by the cops. Being harassed, the young officers in their 20s called their course mates from CME which was around 6 km from that place. As they arrived, the hungry media came in, the place was circled with a crowd of around 200 people including 60-70 police personals hitting the young officers. Here is the video which will give an insight of the situation.
I have lived in Pune for almost 18 months that bridge was hardly 3 kms away from my university. Apparently, there are no sign boards or a traffic police personnel to direct two wheeler to take alternate route. No, I am wrong- Yes, police personnel are there but at the other end of the bridge only to fine people or I must say to earn some descent amount of bribe to make their day a success.
Most of the Indian armed forces personnels are not locals and are from different parts of the country so,they don't know much about the local traffic system. There are few facts about the Indian Army officers which i got from various sources and found them pretty interesting.
The officer to men ratio in the Indian Army is approximately 1 is to 160, however during the Kargil conflict the ratio of the casualties was 1 is to 10. That is after for every 10 soldiers are martyred, the nation also looses an officer. This ratio is highest in the world. These are not mere statistics but speak volumes of the quality of the officer cadre that led their men-from the front. Leading from the front requires raw courage, undying zeal and relentless enthusiasm. How do these boys, no more than 23 years old , an age when their counterparts in the civil society have not even figured out what they want to do in life, are able to muster such a strong sense of purpose as to lead men into fire? Many say that this comes from the rigorous training that they are made to go through, toughening the mind, body and spirit. An aggressive spirit is ingrained in them that makes these men to lay down their lives for the cause of a forgetful and ungrateful nation. They are not uneducated, under qualified then why do they have to leave their comfortable civil life and an opportunistic corporate fat paying job for unthankful job. I asked one of my senior, who is presently serving as a young officer in army posted in Kashmir, he replied with a short answer- 'You will only know when you will wear this olive-green uniform'. His reply made me more interested to know and dig more on this issue.
Coming back to the Pune incident- The case in question is the recent unfortunate turn events took in Pune resulting in confrontation between the Defence Forces, egged on and catalyzed by the media. The aim is not to discuss the events but to give an insight into their cause. Owing to operational and security reasons the defence forces are generally shrouded in a cloud of mystery evoking curiosity and speculations. This not only provides the media with a sea of unexplored opportunity to dig their nose into any issue concerning the Armed forces but also places on them the responsibility to exercise discretion in the publication of any such issue. Care should be taken to ensure that the media’s role does not jeopardize the security of personnel or information and most importantly tarnish the image of the Forces. A country’s Defence Forces symbolise not only its strength but also the character of the nation. A blow served to the image of the Defence Forces not only lowers the morale of the force but also the faith of the common man in them, the biggest boost for the morale of any soldier. No denying the fact that the course taken by the Army officers in this case was not the best one, neither the wisest-but a careful analysis of the facts will reveal that the belligerents were all young officers in their early twenties. When these officers initially introduced themselves as ‘Army Officers’ all it implied was that they deserved to be treated in a dignified manner, they really were not asking for too much. These men spend months and years of their lives in god forsaken places guarding our frontiers or training-totally aloof from civilization, the only communication to the outside world being occasional letters from near and dear ones. So when a person declares himself as an ‘Army personnel’ it does not mean that he considers himself above rule of law, it only means- - I have been living far away from civilization in a place you could hardly spot on a map for months so that you can stand here without fear, grant me that respect. - Expect me not be conversant with the changes that have taken place recently or new signboards that you may have put. - I have no permanent home and neither does my family and every some years it’s a new town or city I’ve to call home. - I will someday put my life in peril for you and all my countrymen, expecting nothing but respect and gratitude in return. - I put my life so often in peril that I know no fear( often misinterpreted as arrogance). These young men lacked thoughtfulness agreed and with some provocation got aggressive but remember here that these men are trained to be such. A seasoned and reasoning man lacks the spontaneity to jump in the way of fire without heeding for personal safety for no personal gain of his own. It is these young men with this aggression who led the Indian Army to historic victories and for God’s sake not criminals. A matured handling of these officers by the police and subsequent handling of the issue by the media could have averted tarnishing the image of the Armed Forces in the eyes of a gossip happy nation.
Source- Youtube, Google.
I have lived in Pune for almost 18 months that bridge was hardly 3 kms away from my university. Apparently, there are no sign boards or a traffic police personnel to direct two wheeler to take alternate route. No, I am wrong- Yes, police personnel are there but at the other end of the bridge only to fine people or I must say to earn some descent amount of bribe to make their day a success.
Most of the Indian armed forces personnels are not locals and are from different parts of the country so,they don't know much about the local traffic system. There are few facts about the Indian Army officers which i got from various sources and found them pretty interesting.
The officer to men ratio in the Indian Army is approximately 1 is to 160, however during the Kargil conflict the ratio of the casualties was 1 is to 10. That is after for every 10 soldiers are martyred, the nation also looses an officer. This ratio is highest in the world. These are not mere statistics but speak volumes of the quality of the officer cadre that led their men-from the front. Leading from the front requires raw courage, undying zeal and relentless enthusiasm. How do these boys, no more than 23 years old , an age when their counterparts in the civil society have not even figured out what they want to do in life, are able to muster such a strong sense of purpose as to lead men into fire? Many say that this comes from the rigorous training that they are made to go through, toughening the mind, body and spirit. An aggressive spirit is ingrained in them that makes these men to lay down their lives for the cause of a forgetful and ungrateful nation. They are not uneducated, under qualified then why do they have to leave their comfortable civil life and an opportunistic corporate fat paying job for unthankful job. I asked one of my senior, who is presently serving as a young officer in army posted in Kashmir, he replied with a short answer- 'You will only know when you will wear this olive-green uniform'. His reply made me more interested to know and dig more on this issue.
Coming back to the Pune incident- The case in question is the recent unfortunate turn events took in Pune resulting in confrontation between the Defence Forces, egged on and catalyzed by the media. The aim is not to discuss the events but to give an insight into their cause. Owing to operational and security reasons the defence forces are generally shrouded in a cloud of mystery evoking curiosity and speculations. This not only provides the media with a sea of unexplored opportunity to dig their nose into any issue concerning the Armed forces but also places on them the responsibility to exercise discretion in the publication of any such issue. Care should be taken to ensure that the media’s role does not jeopardize the security of personnel or information and most importantly tarnish the image of the Forces. A country’s Defence Forces symbolise not only its strength but also the character of the nation. A blow served to the image of the Defence Forces not only lowers the morale of the force but also the faith of the common man in them, the biggest boost for the morale of any soldier. No denying the fact that the course taken by the Army officers in this case was not the best one, neither the wisest-but a careful analysis of the facts will reveal that the belligerents were all young officers in their early twenties. When these officers initially introduced themselves as ‘Army Officers’ all it implied was that they deserved to be treated in a dignified manner, they really were not asking for too much. These men spend months and years of their lives in god forsaken places guarding our frontiers or training-totally aloof from civilization, the only communication to the outside world being occasional letters from near and dear ones. So when a person declares himself as an ‘Army personnel’ it does not mean that he considers himself above rule of law, it only means- - I have been living far away from civilization in a place you could hardly spot on a map for months so that you can stand here without fear, grant me that respect. - Expect me not be conversant with the changes that have taken place recently or new signboards that you may have put. - I have no permanent home and neither does my family and every some years it’s a new town or city I’ve to call home. - I will someday put my life in peril for you and all my countrymen, expecting nothing but respect and gratitude in return. - I put my life so often in peril that I know no fear( often misinterpreted as arrogance). These young men lacked thoughtfulness agreed and with some provocation got aggressive but remember here that these men are trained to be such. A seasoned and reasoning man lacks the spontaneity to jump in the way of fire without heeding for personal safety for no personal gain of his own. It is these young men with this aggression who led the Indian Army to historic victories and for God’s sake not criminals. A matured handling of these officers by the police and subsequent handling of the issue by the media could have averted tarnishing the image of the Armed Forces in the eyes of a gossip happy nation.
Source- Youtube, Google.
