KILLING FIELDS:
AC hummed as my cell phone crooned
its 5 am alarm song into my ears. Another uneventful day of my uneventful life. By 5.30, I was all fresh and dug into my
daily ritual of reading The Hindu newspaper. Top to bottom. Front page to last word.
The front page carried a photo of young cute wide eyed child. Underneath the
photo was written the name of the boy. Balachandran Prabhakaran. The son of
worlds deadliest terrorist of Sri lanka: V.Prabhakaran who introduced the
concept of suicide bombing to the world.
Inside editions carried more photos
of child before he was shot from point blank range in most cold blooded manner
by sri lankan military forces. I wondered what might have gone through young
mind of unfortunate child. He had such an innocent eyes which could haunt the
killers forever. I wondered what
could be his fault?. Just being born to Prabhakaran.!! Should child suffer for
sins of his parents? Just accident of his birth to Prabhakaran was his only
fault and consequence was a cold blooded murder.
“Truth is the first casualty of the war”
As my emotions got calmed after
sometime I introspected how in all Wars , Man forgets his basic human nature
before becoming worst beast human the mind can imagine. You take any war in
since the birth of mankind, pattern would be the same where soldiers of the war
would commit unimaginable horrible atrocities against their enemies with no
sense of humanity.
Afghans during medieval age used to
chop of heads of enemies and catapult them into opponents territories to strike
fear. WW-II has stories of horror that would make your hair rise. Auschwitz
concentration camp in Poland was where German Nazis killed 6 million jews in
gas chambers but not before stripping them of their belongings which include
even shoes,clothes,glasses anything of value during war scarcity. Hitlers nazi
conducted all kinds of bizarre human experiments on helpless prisoners. I remember
reading a book “Munich(iam not sure of title)” which gives graphical details of horrors commited on common german folks during last days of WW-II .
Rape was all common weapon soldiers used
against women. The reasons were obvious. There would be complete break down of
law and order. There wont be anyone to punish our crimes and worst behavior. No
wonder in that environment, Man becomes whatever he wants, more often than not it’s
the Beast which hidden all the time emerges out and commits crimes with
impunity.
When germany was losing the war ,
there was crude fear in hearts of all germans. They feared they would be raped
by advancing Russian troops. Women started to sleep with any stranger as long
as he was a german man. Later Russian soldiers raped german women at will
irrespective of age. In Africa , insurgents of Somalia use sharp end sticks to
mutilate private parts of females, chop of hands to prevent them voting.
Closer home., in 1971 war, Pakistani
soldiers raped more than million women of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) before they got defeated by Indian war. In
afghanistan Abu gharib prisons leaked
photos show how afghan prisoners were subjected to worst abuses by American soldiers
. in one instance, father and son were made nude in front of each other, or a
female American soldier tying a dogs leash to a prisoner.
Where ever there is a scope of a
gun, I believe there is a potential for Human Rights abuse. Gun in hand probably
makes man feel like God how can snuff anyones lives with little pressure on
trigger. All theatres of insurgency, anywhere in the world ,carries the same
pattern. We Indians are no better. Remember how Manipur women stripped their
clothes carrying banner “INDIAN ARMY-RAPE US” when it was alleged that army
raped a local girl and later killing her . It’s the same in North east or Jammu
and Kashmir. Infact a book “Lost opportunities by SK sinha” which speaks about
insurgency in north east states that
One of the former Chief of the
Army Staff, late General BC Joshi, issued the Ten Commandments for troops
employed in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and the North-east:
·
No rape.
·
No molestation.
·
No torture resulting in death or maiming.etc
Two wrongs
cannot right the things. LTTE killed lankan civilians, two Prime minster
(including Rajiv Gandhi) doesn’t authorize sri lankan troops massacre/ rape/
maim/ in cold blood manner.
People all ways close their eyes saying that’s these things
happen to other people. Just like germans closed their eyes when jews were
massacred by Nazis or shia muslims were targeted in sunni paksitan. Its time we
remember the touchy poem by martin neimoller
"First
They Came for the Jews"
By Pastor Niemoller
By Pastor Niemoller
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
