FTN: Terror taint on officer but Army trusted, revered

LOOK WITHIN: Panellist agreed that it was time for introspection for the Indian Army.

          

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Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested nine people so far in the Malegaon bomb blast case. After arresting a serving army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the ATS is turning its attention to a religious leader in Lucknow.

The BJP, which has made terror its poll plank, is watching with concern.

But the bigger concern remains if the image of the army been irreparably damaged by terror allegations.

CNN-IBN debated the issue on Face the Nation with a panel comprising senior BJP leader B P Singhal, Secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace, Teesta Setalvad; defence analyst Major General (Retd) Sheru Thapliyal and filmmaker Samar Khan who directed Shaurya, a film about a senior army officer faking kills.

The provocative debate was moderated by senior editor Sagarika Ghose.

The show started on a point everybody on the panel agreed with: Army is respected as a secular institution; it is expected to do its service in J-K, North-East and must be seen to be secular. Always. However, incidents like Purohit’s come as a shocking aberration. But is it really an aberration or a horrifying trend?

Thapliyal began the debate and said such incidents (of the involvement of army officers like Purohit in Malegaon blast) should be treated as exception, not rule.