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| Sexual scandals in army have dangerous portents | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Sep 7
The allegations of a woman army officer, Captain Neha Rawat of Corps of Singles based in Leh against General Officer Commanding, Leh division, Major General A L Lal of sexually misbehaving with her during a meditation session and the counter allegations by the family members of the Major General against the complainant female officer, about her habitual unbecoming behavior as an officer, freely socializing with male officers and taking heavy dose of alcohol at late night parties has vitiated the atmosphere in the defense services in the country. It is not for the first time that our armed forces are embroiled in sexual scandals. Apart from the frequent complaints of civilians in Kashmir valley of sexual misconduct against and exploitation of women by the army officials on security duty, the complaints of the senior officers sexually harassing their junior female officers have been quite common. These call for a serious thinking and early checking the rot, to avoid people's faith eroding in the armed forces of the country renowned for being highly disciplined and maintaining utmost restrain in their conduct. The growing scandals of sexual nature in the armed forces will go to strengthen the argument of the orthodox, who as conviction, are opposed to recruiting women in the forces and particularly deploying them on operational duty in the forward areas.
Since all the complaints of sexual harassment by the senior male officers or even the colleagues in the same rank, lodged by the female officers or cops are not authentic and sometimes these are found to be an alibi to spare action against indiscipline among the female staff are motivated by the spirit of vengeance, a rational view of the whole matter is highly essential. The false complaints and concocted allegations should draw as much severest punishment as the genuine ones.
There is also a lesson for the ardent advocates of 33% reservation for women in the Parliament and in the state assemblies that it should be insured that in the event of a large number of women becoming MPs and MLAs, the parliament and the state assemblies should not become breeding grounds for sexual exploitation and controversy galore in this regard. In the case of reservation for women, there is every likelihood of females lacking caliber and integrity taking advantage by developing proximity with the senior male party leaders.
UPA experiment likely to be repeated in Jammu:
There are strong indications of the experiment of Dalit-Brahaman combination that paid rich electoral dividends to the BSP Supremo Mayavati in UP may be repeated in Jammu and Kashmir, more precisely in Jammu, in the coming assembly elections. A central leader of BSP, as an emissary of Mayavati was recently in Jammu to establish contacts with some Brahaman as well as Rajput leaders. There are strong indications that Praja Parishad, a splinter group of BJP, which is dominated by the Brahaman leaders and which has, in proxy captured the Dogra Brahaman Pratinidhi Sabha, is poised for having alliance with the BSP for the coming elections. Various splinter Shiv Sena groups are also likely to be roped in the alliance. But more than this, behind the scene efforts are afoot for forging an alliance between the Congress and the BSP, with the latter's likely alliance with small groups dominated by upper caste Hindus remaining in tact. If this materializes the prospects of BJP in Jammu will be totally sealed and the party will get isolated. The chances of alliance between the BJP and Panthers Party are very remote, in view of the realization among the BJP leadership in the state and in the centre as well as in the rank and file of the party here that any alliance with Panthers will create more problems for the party than solve, in view of the total undependability and inconsistency of Panthers Party leaders, who hardly observe any scruple or stick to any pact. However there is possibility of electoral alliance between the National Conference and the Panthers Party, which is expected to help both. But in the process Panthers Party's credibility as the claimed watch dog of Jammu's regional interests and its identifying with the regional aspirations of Jammu will further erode.
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