Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Warns Stone Pelters in Kashmir, Says ‘If You Want to Fight us, Then we Will Fight You With All Our Force’

General Rawat said people should ask militants to surrender if they want nobody to be killed.

New Delhi, May 10: In a stern warning to Kashmiri youth, the Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said Azadi isn’t possible and they cannot fight armed forces. General Rawat said Kashmiri youth are being misguided that “picking up the gun” will bring Azadi. The Army chief said the Army will retaliate in full force to stone pelting.

“I want to tell Kashmiri youth that Azadi isn’t possible. It won’t happen. Don’t get carried away unnecessarily. Why are you picking up weapons? We will always fight those who seek Azadi, those who want to secede. (Azadi) is not going to happen, never,” General Bipin Rawat said, in an interview with a newspaper.

General Rawat said Army doesn’t enjoy killings, adding that “If you want to fight us, then we will fight you with all our force.” “Kashmiris have to understand that the SFs (security forces) haven’t been so brutal — look at Syria and Pakistan. Our troops have been trying their level best to avoid any civilian casualty despite huge provocation,” he said.

The Army chief said fresh recruitment for militant activities won’t bear any fruits. “There are fresh recruitments happening. I only want to stress that all this is futile, nothing is going to be achieved by them. You can’t fight the Army,” he said. He added that he doesn’t attach much importance to the number of militants killed in encounters.

Speaking on disruptions during operations by security forces, General Rawat said people should ask militants to surrender if they want nobody to be killed. “If they want that the militants aren’t killed, they should go and tell them to come out without their weapons so that nobody is killed,’’ he said.

General Rawat said stone pelters are inciting security forces to become more brutal as Army cannot allow people to disrupt its operations and help terrorists to flee. “People are inciting security forces by pelting stones at them to disrupt the operations…they are inciting security forces to become more aggressive,” the Army chief said.