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Among the foremost privileges of the citizens of a democracy is the right to dissent. And dissent normally finds expression in the form of protest when rulers refuse to heed the voice of reasonable dissent. In India, such refusal to heed the voice of peaceful protest has often led to violent protests. In fact, violence in India is often the fallout of the failure to recognize legitimate peaceful dissent and to act on it. On Monday, the people of Phonglokpet in Karbi Anglong district were participating in a local religious festival Chojun, when a group of drunk 22 India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel beat up a few local youths. The agitated villagers surrounded the battalion camp. A number of girls were also in the group. It was as though the IRB personnel were waiting for the irate villagers to come as a group of protesters. They opened fire on the group killing 17-year-old Parboti Terangpi and seriously wounding five other girls. This, indeed, is the true complexion of our security forces, whether they are plain policemen or drawn from the paramilitary forces. They are often drunk, and they are bullies and cowards because they cannot take on the terrorists or insurgents but can shoot down the most vulnerable sections of our society — women, children and the odd rickshaw-puller when they can find one. When it comes to taking on their equals, they cannot handle even the law-breaking motorcyclist or the drug-peddler. By their very acts, they are the foremost opponents of democracy and the rule of law — despite being the custodians of the law. The routine inquiry commission is not good enough any more. We need swift trials and more stringent punishment of such cowardly killers in uniform. source: the sentinel assaam
Among the foremost privileges of the citizens of a democracy is the right to dissent. And dissent normally finds expression in the form of protest when rulers refuse to heed the voice of reasonable dissent. In India, such refusal to heed the voice of peaceful protest has often led to violent protests. In fact, violence in India is often the fallout of the failure to recognize legitimate peaceful dissent and to act on it. On Monday, the people of Phonglokpet in Karbi Anglong district were participating in a local religious festival Chojun, when a group of drunk 22 India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel beat up a few local youths. The agitated villagers surrounded the battalion camp. A number of girls were also in the group. It was as though the IRB personnel were waiting for the irate villagers to come as a group of protesters. They opened fire on the group killing 17-year-old Parboti Terangpi and seriously wounding five other girls. This, indeed, is the true complexion of our security forces, whether they are plain policemen or drawn from the paramilitary forces. They are often drunk, and they are bullies and cowards because they cannot take on the terrorists or insurgents but can shoot down the most vulnerable sections of our society — women, children and the odd rickshaw-puller when they can find one. When it comes to taking on their equals, they cannot handle even the law-breaking motorcyclist or the drug-peddler. By their very acts, they are the foremost opponents of democracy and the rule of law — despite being the custodians of the law. The routine inquiry commission is not good enough any more. We need swift trials and more stringent punishment of such cowardly killers in uniform. source: the sentinel assaam
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