BROTHERS IN ARM

One of my brothers in arm asked me, “Ye log Afzal Guru or Yakub Memon ke support me naarein kyu laga rahe hai, wo to terrorist the na?” I had no answers for this stark but real question.

Mohd Afzal Guru was a terrorist who was involved in the attack on the Indian Parliament. Evidence proved his role which he later confessed. He was sentenced to death by the Honourable Court. Yakub Memom was convicted for his role in 1993 bombings and was declared the mastermind of the bombings by the Honourable Court. He too was sentenced to death.

I pen down my thoughts on the day when two of my brothers in arms, Capt Pawan Kumar and Capt Tushar Mahajan sacrifice themselves for their motherland, for my motherland. And this happens when intellects of my country, intellects because what they say is understood best by people of their wit and not by extremely ordinary soldiers like me, claim that trial of Afzal Guru wronged the right to justice.

This happens when in the capital of my country, the place where Prime Minister of India proudly hoists National Flag on Independence Day; people raise anti-India slogans and are recorded on camera and telecasted on Televisions. This happens when a section of intellectuals support these people and admonish the government not to curb the right of dissent.

Capt Pawan and Capt Tushar sacrificed their life when one community disrupted and stirred lives of many; burned malls, shops, ATMs and proudly boasted about the same on social media asking for quota in getting cushioned chairs in government offices.

Sitting in icy cold winters in a part of Jammu&Kashmir, I just wonder can I still call India as our country instead of my country or that too would call dissents among the intellectuals. I wonder what Capt Pawan and Capt Tushar wanted for their life, would they be satisfied with what they have done or sitting in heavens they would be watching all the brouhaha and thinking is this what they sacrificed themselves for?

                                                                        Written in sub-zeros of Leh in 2016