Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Palghar lynching: Two years on, justice still eludes two Hindu sadhus who were handed over to a bloodthirsty mob by the police
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) and Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70)
As the public memory, which is always short and fickle, fades, the issue of seeking justice for the Palghar lynchings seemed to have been pushed to the back burner, with both politicians and citizens displaying little concern to take the case to its logical end.
Two years ago on this day, ie April 16, two Hindu sadhus were brutally lynched
to death by a frenzied mob of more than 100 people in the satellite
town of Palghar, close to 100 Kms from the country’s financial nerve
centre and the capital of Maharashtra, Mumbai.
On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus of Juna Akhara, Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) were lynched along
with their 30-year old driver by a mob. The incident took place at
Gadchinchale village in Palghar district, Maharashtra. They were on
their way to Surat, Gujarat. The police were present at the scene, but
they allegedly did not try to stop the mob or did anything to save the
sadhus.
The police had initially claimed that their team which had rushed to
the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man also came under the attack of the
violent mob. However, later videos emerged that completely debunked the
claim of the police. Contrary to the claims, the police personnel had
allegedly handed over the Sadhus to the frenzied mob, which went on to
beat them to death in front of the policemen.
Several reports that
emerged in the wake of the bloodcurdling lynching hinted that the
brutal murder of the Hindu sadhus may not have been an act of
spontaneity but a part of a broader conspiracy designed to eliminate the
Hindu priests. An FIR into the case revealed an ultra-left connection
to the lynching as it mentioned that a CPI(M) gram panchayat member had
allegedly gathered a mob armed with rods and stones to kill the sadhus.
