A former general of the Indian army is taking heat on social media after he angrily called for the rape and killing of women in Kashmir by security forces.
"Rape for rape."
— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) November 17, 2019
A former Indian army general urges the rape of Muslim women in Kashmir on live TV. pic.twitter.com/1MfiwvaNQy
In a chaotic video that circulated online, Major General SP Sinha, who is now a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, can be seen vociferously advocating war crimes, yelling “death for death, rape for rape.”
Listen this Ex Army officer Major General SP Sinha.
— Md Asif Khan آصِف (@imMAK02) November 17, 2019
He said "Balatkar ke badle Balatkar" (rape for rape) as a revenge for Kashmiri Pandit exodus.
He is openly supporting rape of Kashmiri women, such kind of filthy officers are protected under draconian Law like AFSPA. pic.twitter.com/GHaHFota1S
The ex-military man has been accused of historically using rape as a strategy. In 1991, the then Brigadier Sinha assembled Sikh villagers in a locality, calling for ‘creating a new breed for Punjab’ when the Indian military was crushing the Sikh movement in Punjab.
Retired Indian army Major General SP Sinha calls for rape of kashmiri women on live tv.
— Asfandyar Bhittani (@BhittaniKhannnn) November 17, 2019
Most likely a war criminal. According to 1996 HRW report, india uses rape as a "counter insurgency tactic" to terrorize the populace. #Kashmir https://t.co/ErYU6kJK39 pic.twitter.com/W2i84MjEcf
Furious online voices condemned the general's statements and feared for the future of their country.
After seeing on TV an Indian retired general now a member of parliament for BJP-ordering rape of Kashmiri women one feels sorry for the country that once was proud of secularism and tolerance. Modi has turned Hindustan into Rapestan.
— Iftikhar Ahmad (@Iftikh4rahmad) November 18, 2019
Oh god the amount of hatred there is, it's unbelievable
— random thoughts (@randomt94536793) November 17, 2019
Some people pointed out that Sinha was merely publicizing an already existing reality on the ground and that he was not the first nor the only one to advocate for such tactics.
This is what Indian army is doing already. Why are audience and anchors so pissed off and trying to play holy ?
— Rights of Humans (@HumanRightsWat8) November 17, 2019
Indian-occupied Kashmir has been under a military curfew since August 5, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the constitutional autonomy of the region and arrested thousands of people.
According to 1996 Human Rights Watch report, India uses rape as a “counter-insurgency tactic” in Indian Occupied Kashmir to terrorize the populace. Earlier this year, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader was removed from her position after she encouraged “Hindu brothers” to gang-rape Muslim women openly in the streets.
It wasn’t just a statement by ex army general, mass rapes like in Kunan/Poshpora are testament to his words. They’ve used rape as a tool to curb dissent. Thousands of Kashmiri women were raped. Indian forces committed gang-rape of 882 Kashmiri women in 1992 alone. @IfraJan_
— Peer Viqar Ul Aslam (@PeerViqar) November 17, 2019
