It is indeed sad to see pictures of the bodies of seven personnel who were killed in the IAF chopper crash at Tawang wrapped in cardboard boxes (cartons) and parachute material. This is unexpected of a nation that prides itself in its armed forces and especially in the present times when India is posturing itself as a global player.

One can imagine the trauma the families of the personnel might have experienced seeing such disrespect to the men who died in service of the nation.

The Indian Army on Sunday admitted that wrapping the bodies of the men, "in local resources is an aberration". Although the IAF handed over the bodies to the families very respectfully and performed the last rites by paying the guard of honour, there has been allegation by an aggrieved family from Bihar about the administration’s indifference and political bigwigs not taking out even few minutes of their time to visit the family despite being in the vicinity.

This incident highlights the apathetic and hypocritical nature of the government and the establishment towards our soldiers on several fronts.

While acknowledging that the crash site is in a forward location, however it is shocking that proper body bags were not available to transport the bodies until ceremonial coffins are available.

Arunachal is known for its unpredictable weather which makes flying even more challenging in this region. There have been a series of aircraft crashes over the past few years mostly due to unfavourable weather conditions.

However, this latest accident which comes days after a sensational revelation by a pilot of the BSF’s Air Wing alleging that several VIPs have been flying in unsafe conditions, with uncategorized pilots flying VIPs, aircraft not being maintained properly and standard operating procedures of flying not being followed definitely raises red flags.

If VIPs are vulnerable, then one can imagine the conditions facing an ordinary soldier.

Our hearts go out to the families of these bravehearts, who have lost a son, brother, a husband. A responsible country, a responsible government and a mature press always need to recognise the sacrifice of its soldiers. We need to recognise and understand the sacrifice of defence service personnel for the nation.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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