Army does not communalise, Owaisi and like-minded told

The Indian Army does not communalise! This was Northern Command chief Lt Gen D Anbu's terse response to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been harping on the ‘martyrdom’ of Kashmiri Muslim soldiers in the terror attack in Sunjuwan.

‘‘We take on the religion of our troops. We do not communalise any of them. It's only for those who do not know the functioning of the army too well. They need to see that we put everything aside and live together," Anbu told the media.

Referring to the soldiers who died, Owaisi had said, "In this incident, five Kashmiri Muslims have laid down their lives. Why aren't you talking about it? This is a reminder to all those nationalists who question my integrity and the love for this country."‘‘I am referring to the so-called "9 pm nationalists" (those who appear in prime time TV debates) and question the nationalism of Muslims and Kashmiri Muslims,’’ Owaisi had added.

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown (by participating in large numbers in the funeral of the soldiers)... it is a testimony for all those who wanted to communalise it," the officer told reporters here.

On the impact of filing of an FIR against Major Aditya Kumar over the killing of three youths in south Kashmir's Shopian district last month, he said, "I am heading the Northern Command and I can say it with confidence that the issue of Major Aditya has not dented the morale of my troops, not even a bit, not even an iota." "I can say it with confidence because I meet them, I move around and I speak through my commanders and know the pulse," he said.

The officer also said that there were no HR violations reported against the Army in the last one year. "In the last one year, you have not seen any human rights violations taking place. That is (because of the) direction from me to the commanders. You will not find any one of them wilfully indulging in it. Our intentions are clear, so there is nothing to worry about," he said.

In response to a question about an insider’s role in the Sunjuwan terror attack and any plans to shift the training centre of the regiment from Srinagar, Anbu said, "I am in a uniformed force and do not distinguish the personnel under my command. We do not work like that in the Indian Army." "Someone who joins us gets motivated by our ethos and functioning, even if he is not motivated before. There is no doubt in my mind that our organisation is very strong. The new recruits mould into our system," he said.