End justifies the means

With reference to the report, “Human shield incident: Amit Shah lauds Major Gogoi for saving people’s life” (May 26), in all the wars that the Indian Army has fought since Independence, it has lived up to the ideal: “Theirs not to reason why/theirs but to do and die.” 

Can we expect our jawans and officers to turn their left cheek when slapped on the right by stone-pelters in Jammu and Kashmir? Surely, it is not the contention of our bleeding heart liberals that only stone throwers are entitled to human rights and not our soldiers, who maintain law and order in the insurgency-ridden state? It was to rescue civilians, security personnel and poll officials that Major Leetul Gogoi resorted to the step of tying a Kashmiri man to his jeep bonnet on April 9, during the Srinagar by-election, which was marred by violence.

As it resulted in a temporary halt to the stone-pelting and the rescue of the intended group, with the human shield suffering no physical harm in the process, the end may well have justified the means. As for Pakistan’s condemnation of the award conferred on the Major by the Indian Army chief, look who is championing human rights!

V Jayaraman   Chennai

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