India invests into Frankenstein — Village Defence Guards
When vulnerable everyday Indians go empty stomach, India mobilises angry youth into a suicidal para-militia.
The month of May, brings forth a joyous period in my life. Though we experienced unprecedented heat waves and severe weather conditions, the chapter of brotherhood which bloomed in my life with the advent of my sister’s life was one to be celebrated grandly. While my mind was flowing in its happy stream, a sudden news left me too stunned to pen my thoughts down, even more paralysed I became on seeing the spam bots at play.
I mustered a lot of courage, to finally pen this down today. This thought has been carefully racked in my mind for a long time now. I am born to a period of history where people are feeling out of limelight,that their issues are not worthy of discussion and economy or politics has become exterior. Not practicing one’s rights and critical thinking has reared them mindless and senseless, they have lost reasonability. And I can’t afford to sell my conscience, and I feel the need to ask questions has arisen.
I read the news regarding the Village Defence Guards on Hindustan Times. The chief of the organisation specifically says that the Government, Army and CRPF are mobilising the youth of Hindu Majority villages in Kashmir and providing them with arms and weapon training to combat terrorism and militant activities from other communities, which plainly means Muslim militants. This is a threatening news.
History is the custodian of truth and data. Its a proven fact, that with rise of economic inequality and economic collapse and democratic backsliding, the fire that wreaks within, comes out in form of violent dissent and ravages entire societies into civil unrest. When angry mobs of youth are trained to defend, nothing prevents their internal and external stimuli to offend and to cause harm, to incite violence. I have a few questions-
- Giving 4000 to 4500 rupees to the volunteers makes the job a lucrative one, would the unemployed youth chose this as a viable career path? One that is violent in nature.
- A large portion of India’s budget is invested in Indian Army, the fourth largest in the world. Is this huge army failing to protect the people of India, and therefore people have to take up arms? Is India facing a security lapse?
- When AI is threatening Revolutionary changes in the labour market, for which Indian workforce is not prepared or skilled adequately, why is Indian government not taking steps to set up regulatory organisations for AI Ethics? Why is India not investing in Technology and human capital, and why into a paramilitary?
- We all are well aware of how the Pashtun Tribes were first inflicted with fear, and then with hatred and young people were encouraged to join Taliban which took advantage of economic crisis and democratic vaccum to promise a better future. In the retrospect, is not the machinary of hate and fear based hindu nationalism kind of similar. This village defence guard is the armed extension of the same thought process, and this access to assault weapons by a minority of people is threatening to social justice and communal harmony in India, isn’t it? Are they not similar to Red Guards during Mao’s Cultural Revolution or "Security Village Guards" of Turkey, all born out of conflict and Politics? Is this not threatening to social order?
- So much power in a few hands could it lead to an insurgency in Kashmir? There is also a human rights aspect to it, for historically such groups subject civilians especially minorities and marginalized to crimes like sexual assault and even mass killings. Several human rights watches are opposing this move.
- The Agniveer Scheme calls a doom for India’s unemployment crisis and also the theoretical and maybe much proved unemployability crisis. The officers who received tactical training in warfare and know the working of Indian army are really of no use in the future automated high tech specific labour market. While India is unable to manage it’s own army men, the why is it establishing a semi independent paramilitary.
- Often times when the role is over, the opium of power intoxicates the medium. When Kashmir crisis would be gone, what would these people do, if their 4000 rupees job is gone, and their special privileges revoked? Would they take up arm against India?
- Is it wise to flirt which the fire burning within people and giving it a communal twist for electoral benefits in the race for identity politics? Is this not suicidal to nurture mindless Frankensteins who would back bite the creator? Why is this move not opposed in Parliament, and this cancerous scheme not challenged?
I only pray that India recognises what beast it has invested in, and moves towards the path of Swaraj, that is rule and control of self. Being a believer in Idea of India, I would only wish every Indian to realise the fact, that we are all the same, we have the same problems and we must work democratically to solve them.
