CHANDIGARH: A Punjab Government spokesman dismissed reports that had appeared recently in newspapers regarding the behavior of a Brigadier towards the villagers of Sarangra and other villages around it in Amritsar district in which he had abused and insulted panches and sarpanches and had made derogatory remarks about their womenfolk.
The spokesman said inquiries had revealed that the Bngadier had addressed a gathering of panches and sarpanches and villagers of the area on March 8 and exhorted them to cooperate with the authorities to combat militants’ activities. He had explained that they should trust and confide in the security forces and come forward to give information about militants. The villagers of the area were known to be bold and brave and they should not be scared by a handful of militants.
The spokesman said it had been “established that the Army officer had not used abusive language”. These allegations were false and facts were twisted to tarnish the image of Army and the security forces.
An observer had predicted this exact outcome almost a month ago as the men in uniform must not be ‘demoralized’. The word of a whole village has not stood up against the word of one Indian
Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991
