SOURCE: TIMES NOW
Days after a photo of a man in Army uniform taking part in the ongoing farmers’ agitation in Punjab went viral, intelligence agencies have started to ascertain whether the man in the picture is a serving soldier or an imposter.
The development came as Lt Gen HS Panag (retd), former GOC-in-C of Northern and Central Commands, wrote on Twitter that the matter should be investigated. He added that the Army has clear rules in place as regards serving personnel taking part in such events.
“Not done. Investigate and take disciplinary action. Army has clear rules and regulations. No compromise,” he said in two sets of tweets.
The photograph of the man in Army uniform has been doing the rounds on the social media and the same has also been published by several newspapers.
The man, who is a Sikh, can be seen holding a placard in the viral picture: “My father is a farmer. If he is a terrorist then I am also a terrorist”. He took part in the protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Bathinda on Monday.
The man appears to be wearing a standard Army uniform along with a name tag.
The Indian Express said in a report that uniform is of combat pattern along with a jacket and a camouflaged scarf.
The report said another video is also being circulated on the social media in which two Army jawans with AK-47 type rifles react to Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s comments on the farmers protest. The actor’s remarks had triggered a lot of controversy.
Armed forces’ rulebook prohibits serving soldiers from participating in protests. However, there is nothing that bars ex-servicemen from taking part in agitations.
It may be noted that many ex-servicemen from Punjab have been participating in the farmers’ protest.
Farmers have not been protesting for three weeks at Delhi’s borders demanding the repeal of new farm laws brought in by the Narendra Modi government.
