Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 25: It may appear unbelievable, but it is a hard fact that BJP national general secretary and one of the architects of the unsettling PDP-BJP agenda of alliance, Ram Madhav, has virtually defended the J&K Government's decision to file FIR against Major Aditya and none other jawans.
Recently, the Army had opened fire at Shopian in self defence after a mob of more than 200 stone-pelters attacked the army convoy. The mob would have, according to the Army, lynched the Major and the jawans, had they not taken timely action against the stone-pelters.
Defending the controversial FIR against them, Ram Madhav said that when a cognizable offence takes place, police are bound to file an FIR.
"As far as naming of the Army official in the FIR is concerned, we said it's a wrong step. But you must remember, an FIR is not a statement of guilt. When any congnisable offence takes place, police are bound to file an FIR…This FIR only says so and so officer led a battalion of the Army through that area when the incident took place. Still we said naming the official was not correct. Legally, remedial measures will be taken. But if one says FIR should not be there, the law does not permit it," Ram Madhav on Saturday said in Delhi.
He ignored the fact that stone-peltiers targeting Army jawans-on-duty was also a cognizable offence and that the state government didn't file an FIR against them. He also didn't think it proper to say a word on the decision of the state government to grant amnesty to almost 10,000 stone-pelters responsible for the killing of and injuries to many jawans.
Ram Madhav was talking about the nature of alliance between the BJP and the PDP and difference between them on issues, if any. "There is no major contradiction as far as governance issues are concerned. There are a couple of issues on which we hold different viewpoints, for example, on how to tackle terror incidents. If you take the latest issue of an FIR naming an Army official (after the Shopian firing), we said it should not have been done. Barring such cases, we do not have any contradictory stances.
The BJP is only demoralizing the Army by making such loose statements. It can't support and oppose the FIR at the same time to mislead the people. It's whole approach has shocked the concerned citizens of the country and forced father of Major Aditya, a serving Lt Col to knock at the doors of the Supreme Court, which stayed action on the FIR and asked the Union Government and the state government to file an affidavit on the issue.
The truth is that the BJP is trying to keep the PDP-BJP coalition intact at whatever cost, even at the cost of the national interest. It doesn't augur well for the future of the nation as well as the BJP. |
