Though these mentally and physical nerve-wrecking baptism by fire and explosive bombs have understandably cost the lives of trainees in some isolated cases, officially called 'accidental dead in field trainings', combat live-firing exercises in all regular army formations greatly help the proud outlook of army officers and ranks while dealing with ambushes or counter-offensive in CI Ops. Regular army officers, JCOs and NCOs seldom indulged in indiscriminate retaliatory firing since they are mentally indoctrinated to accept casualties and fire upon uniformed targets and never to be dishonored for killing or inflicting civilian casualties. Any unequal or unarmed contest is not acceptable as a success in the military officers' circle. And any wrong doings, i.e. custodial deaths, rampant atrocity is not cover up or appreciated by senior army officers.

The last, thing which the parent regiment, brigade or divisional army commanders need is a blot or controversial armed operations locally carried by irresponsible junior field officers. That's precisely why the regular army units have not been associated with the prevalent controversial stage-encounters nor with willful collateral-damages as was clearly shown in the monthly standoff at the Sajik Tampak's heavy armed engagements though a couple of middle ranking army officers and about half-dozen casualties. Like this operation Stinger, the now 44th Mtn Bde consisting of Madras and Sikh Light Infantry and Rajputs (8 or 10 companies) was assisted by the AR units as secondary forces.

The 44th Mtn Bde was also hastily raised as a bi-purpose tactical deployment: the first primary objective was to bottle up MPLF militants at the Sajik Tampak areas in order to stop the boycotting of MP Election in valley areas by multi-party UG outfits. The second improvised objective was to secure the nature made fortress of the vast strategic area as territorial domination combat command HQ at the Sajik Tampak.

Now, christened 44th Mtn Bde, the three half-battalions (about 300-400 each), were sent in directly from the 3rd Corp Hq Dimapur and Rangapahar without formal introduction to the CM, O Ibobi Singh, and unfortunately, even to the local media personnel who went to cover the 'flanking thrust' CI Ops. No wonder one gentleman, an army commander, was quite furious about the tactical suggestion mentioned in this 'H&T' column, yes, over a telephonic call which was not entertained personally. Lots of hair-raising military might and weaponries were served to the hungry media boys to intimidate UG militants. Like the so called 73rd Mtn Bde, the 44th Mtn Bde had no official commander during the entire first waves of tactical assaults; it was commanded by Colonel of the Brigade and spin-doctoring the nature of the operations. At that time only one divisional HQ brigade, 59th Mtn Bde was on non-operational mode.

The absence of Indian Army in Manipur's CI Ops since the 1999 Kargil conflict was revived in 2004 by the CM of Manipur, O Ibobi, when he officially requested the presence of four Indian Army battalions in late 2003 for effective CI Ops in valley areas. However, the Defense Ministry, basking in Kargil glory flatly refused and the Central Government sanctioned the immediate formation of IVth, Vth IRBs and 1 full bn of military-trained police commandos (Jan. 2004).

However, nothing materialistic came out after all the required financial assistance have already been sanctioned or released by the Central Govt. Despite the desperate plea by the CM of Manipur to let loose a 3000 plus regular Army personnel to 'assist' the AR, CRPF, IRBs and, of course, the so-called police commandos (RAPF) for a massive CI OPs in Imphal valley areas, his specific request for 4 Army Bns had been politely turned down because the Army personnel are not operational train to fight against their own fellow citizens.

Unfortunately, the non-reactive offensive deployment of the regular army men is the making of the State Government and not that of the Defense Ministry. A democratically elected State Government has the Constitutional rights to stop or disengaged the armed activities of the Army at any time period. Instead, the CM (O Ibobi's Administration) has encouraged the deployment of the Army by the brigades, even as he unconstitutionally lifted off the AFSPA in the seven A/C's of Imphal valley areas.

Now, what about the cry of violation of Indian Constitution and the mentioning of the Geneva Convention at the breath by some local organizations aftermath the Operation Stinger carried out by the hitherto unknown 73rd Mtn Bde (without a brigade commander, i.e. Brigadier)?

For the record, a brigade consists of 3 or more army battalions; the 73rd Mtn Bde has officially just two half-strength battalions, 11th Garhwal (not 11 Grewal) and 5/8th Gorkhas. The 7th AR, a central paramilitary force, cannot be counted as a part of an Army brigade like the Gorkha Rifles and Garhwal Rifles who are regular army units. There is no army unit called 11 Grewal Rifles in the Indian Army; a non-existing '11 Grewal' which is officially recognized and printed by the State Media time and time again. Till now, no media personnel have known the CO of the so-called 21 Paras, nor interact directly with the other winged ranks and files.

Now, nobody raised even a broken finger or voiced a single word about the unconstitutional activities of the so-called 21 Paras (SF), the alleged murderers of Pastor Jamkholet Khongsai, or the brutal murder of two innocent housewife and baby by the Lairouching-based 14th AR personnel. And what about the unnecessary torching of two residential houses of Wakan village, Sadar Hills, by the combined forces of police commandos and IRB personnel and the unlawful arrest of its owner and daughter, reportedly 'Manhandled' by the arresting party? That burning of two residential houses, an alleged shelter houses of suspected KNA cadres, is in plain English, a crime against humanity. Well, what say the learned citizens of Manipur? Nothing, not a single audible whimper. Dare we say, a camp is a camp and house is a house? This is more unconstitutional than disentangling of a fishing net, destruction of fishing in an armed operations and missing a breakfast.

As for the call for invoking of the provisions of the Geneva Convention pertaining to treatment of civilians in conventional or semi-conventional war, the local bodies overlooked some basic points. Manipur is not an independent nation or Sovereign State and its Government cannot be a signatory of the Geneva and The Hague conventions and the Operation Stinger is neither a war nor an all-out assault upon an army of a foreign country in peace time conflicts or semi-conventional war.

If, indeed, Manipur, given an official independent status by the so-called 21 Para (SF) Bn, is a sovereign or foreign nation, the citizens of Manipur simply cannot seek for the protection of Human rights given by the Constitution of India, a foreign State. Hence, the call for enforcement of the provisions of the Indian Constitution is more than enough since the provisions of the Geneva Convention are not officially applicable.

And the Army/AR authorities should make sure that an innocent third party be repeatedly dragged in all major CI Ops or any local military operations. They should keep in crystal clear mind that they must neither harm nor harass the very citizens which they are fighting and protecting as a part of national security. The innocent citizens of India cannot be harm in any manner or harass by the Army and paramilitary forces. After all, it is for them citizens they are fighting for and sacrificing if and when be needed.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)