ALI SUKHANVER

It is the height of hostility or the climax of enmity with Pakistan that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina succeeded in getting approval of a draconian law, the DSA, by her cabinet. The Digital Security Act is in fact a set of punishments which would be used to bring the opposition elements under pressure and the worst victim to this law would be Mrs. Khalida Zia’s opposition party Awami League.

The journalist-community of Bangladesh has also many fearful reservations rather apprehensions over DSA as this law would deprive people of their freedom of expression. Analysts say that this law would impede independent journalism and would limit the scope of researchers doing work on the sensitive topics like the so-called Liberation War. It is also being feared that Sheikh Hasina would misuse this controversial law against Bangladesh’s Jamat-e-Islami extensively and execute the leaders of this party for being soft on Pakistan.

In short the honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh has made inclination towards Pakistan a crime. The fact of the matter is that Sheikh Hasina tries to follow the foot-prints of Mr. Modi whom she loves and admires like a god. Mr. Modi himself is in a habit of crushing all those voices whom he thinks are raised against his own and very personal liking. India, once the biggest democracy in the region, has become a state running under the control of a democratic dictator and same is the case with Sheikh Hasina. Most of the sensible people would not have forgotten the name of Tej Bahadur, a soldier from Indian Border Security Force, who became talk of the town when a video clip posted by him became viral on social media, somewhere in the beginning days of 2017?

In that video clip, Tej Bahadur and his fellow soldiers had complained that the soldiers in Indian Army are leading a life worse than the animals. They had said that the harsh conditions and poor facilities they are subjected to while performing their duties are really very painful and agonizing rather insulting. Several claimed that they had to do household chores for their superiors, including washing clothes, cooking, taking care of their children and even taking their dogs outside. All these soldiers also complained about bad behavior of their senior officers.

It was also in one of the video clips that Mr. Modi and his fellow-politicians are never serious in solving out their problems. The video posted by Tej Bahadur gave courage to several soldiers in the Indian army and paramilitary forces who came out to voice their concerns on social media. After the video went viral on social media and was covered by the print and electronic media, he was shifted to a different unit in BSF.

According to the NDTV, later on a court martial inquiry was held against him and he was found guilty of making false charges and of indiscipline for posting video on Facebook alleging that troops on the frontline in Jammu and Kashmir are being nearly starved with bad food and poor portions. This court-martial led to his dismissal from the service. The dismissal in such circumstances meant that he would not be entitled to a pension after more than 20 years of serving in the BSF. Talking to the media-men Tej Bahadur said after his dismissal, I made my complaints public only once I saw there was no other way.

I had already sent several petitions to senior officers and even to the Prime Minister’s Office. But no one heard me.”  Now India’s Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand has recently endorsed what the unlucky Tej Bahadur had said last year before his dismissal. According to the Indian Express the Army has said it was reeling under severe fund crunch and struggling to even make emergency procurements when there was a real possibility of a two-front war and both China and Pakistan were carrying out modernization of their defence forces in full swing.

The Army’s frustrations over inadequate allocations of funds in the defence budget figured in a report of the Standing Committee on Defence which was tabled in Lok Sabha on 14^th March; says the paper. Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand said, The Budget of 2018-19 has dashed our hopes and most of what has been achieved has actually received a little set back.” He was of the opinion that inadequate allocation of funds would hit the Army’s modernization plan when Chinese military was competing to reach the level of the US. The threat perception has been ever increasing.

The last one year has seen various occurrences of external strife and internal dissidence. Just to highlight a few, we have the Doklam issue going on and China has become increasingly assertive,” said Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand. This blunt criticism on the Modi government may lead to dismissal of Lt.Gen. Sarath Chand’s services from the Army but his sincerity and honesty would always remain an example. It is also being expected that a DSA type law may also be introduced in India, particularly for those who are in the Army. If introduced, this law would give birth to so many soldiers and officers like Tej Bahadur and Sarath Chand in the Indian army.