Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, stressed that the Indian Army would always counter violations across the LOC and vouched for its human rights record.
Interacting with the media during graduation parade and commissioning of flying cadets of Air Force Academy, Dundigal, General Rawat maintained that the Indian Army and other agencies were doing a great job in keeping the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir under control.
“Some parts of southern Kashmir are troublesome, but all security forces are doing a great job and necessary actions are taken to bring the situation under control soon. There should be no cause for concern,” he said. He added that the Army has to remain in the valley to keep the trouble away.
When asked about locals taking arms against the Army, General Rawat blamed misinformation and propaganda. “This is compelling the younger generation to pick up arms. I am quite confident that they will soon understand that what they are doing is not good for their State and people,” he said. “All that the armed forces want is peace and tranquillity.”
Speaking about stone-pelting in Kashmir by civilians he said, “Our men who operate in the valley are trained to handle the situation. They know how to deal with children and women. We believe in human rights and have a good record for it.”
In the context of alleged human rights violation following the use of a Kashmiri man as human shield by an officer, “Our Army is trained to perform under various circumstances. The effort is to make sure there are no human rights violations.”
Answering a question on road closures in Secunderabad Cantonment, General Rawat cited security concerns and imposing restrictions as the prerogative of the local military authority.