NEW DELHI – Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has been strongly irkedwith a trend of soldiers and officers avoiding operational duties onpretext of minor disability depicting the cowardness of the Indian militarypersonnel.
General Rawat on Thursday gave a stern warning to soldiers, who he saidwere “feigning disabilities to avoid operational deployment” and added thatthey will soon be receiving “unpleasant instructions” from the Armyheadquarters.
Rawat was in Pune to attend an event organised for disabled soldiers aspart of its initiative wherein 2018 has been declared as the ‘year of thedisabled soldiers in the line of duty’. To that end, General Rawat metaround 600 soldiers — including some disabled — from the Southern command,South-Western and Central Command, at a gathering and lauded their efforts.
Addressing the gathering, Rawat said, “I would like to assure all thedisabled soldiers that the Indian Army will provide all possible help. Ifany soldier is facing any problem, he can write to his unit and he will getan answer in one month.”
However, he issued a warning to some and said, “Soldiers are expected to bementally and physically fit. But I have seen some soldiers and officers whoare suffering from high blood pressure, hypertension or diabetes and theycall themselves disabled and avoid deployment at difficult operationalposts. It shows that they are weak both mentally and physically.”
He added, “Looking at the real disabled soldiers, such section of weaksoldiers should feel ashamed of themselves. Such soldiers will be gettingsome ‘unpleasant instructions’ from Army headquarter in coming days.”