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."
The 2001 Boraibari massacre: When Bangladeshi troops brutally tortured and killed Indian jawans, mutilated their bodies
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
BSF jawans brutalised and killed by Bangladesh Rifles, images via India Today
On April 18, 2001, about 16 jawans of the BSF were brutally killed by
Bangladeshi troops and a frenzied mob of locals in the Boraibari village
of the Kurigram district in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.
On the fateful day of April 18, 2001, about 16 jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) were brutally killed
by the troops of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and a frenzied mob of
locals. The incident took place in the Boraibari village in Kurigram
district in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.
The Indian jawans were tortured, and their bodies were mutilated
beyond recognition. The body of one of the BSF officers was hung from a
pole, tied with ropes and ferried around like a dead animal. Some of
them were shot through their eyes.
When the bodies of the BSF jawans were handed over to the Indian
authorities, they showed visible signs of mutilation and torture. Most
of them were shot dead at point-blank range.
The adventurism of Bangladesh Rifles in Indian territory
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km long border, which was marked by the presence of large enclaves (Chitmohols) and counter enclaves until the historic Land Boundary Agreement of 2015.
Screengrab of the magazine excerpt of India Today
Till then, India was in possession of 71 Bangladeshi enclaves while
Bangladesh was in possession of 102 Indian enclaves. The two sides had
disputes over the territorial rights of some of the enclaves and
stretches of land alongside the border.
Bangladesh had staked its claim on the Indian village of Pyrdiwah
(also called Padua), which is located in the East Khasi Hills
district of Meghalaya. While border skirmishes between the BSF and BDR
(now Border Guards Bangladesh) were not a new phenomenon, things
spiralled out of control on April 15, 2001.
About 1000 troops of the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles intruded into
the Indian territory in the hopes of capturing Pyrdiwah. Although the
act of aggression took the Indian Border Security Forces by surprise,
the contingent of 31 jawans posted at the site held their ground.
In a day’s time, three additional companies (more than 300 BSF
personnel) were deployed in Pyrdiwah. Despite a flag meeting, the
Bangladeshi troops refused to recede and demanded that the BSF show
proof that the village belonged to India.
