(EOP) Indian Soldier Walks Naked In New Delhi To Protest Indian Army Excesses

NEW DELHI – He is no soldier of fortune. Ashok Kumar says he only wants what is his due. The ex-Border Security Force constable alleged that he was ill-treated by his department and was expelled on medical grounds. Kumar claims that he is fit and ready for his job.
So, on Wednesday afternoon the soldier and his young kids marched naked through the heart of the Indian capital as a mark of protest. Ashok wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi but the cops detained him while he was walking nude on the Rajpath.
Ashok is from Sahvada village in Nangloi area of Delhi. “We detained him as soon as we received information (…) we are interrogating him regarding the incident,” a police officer was quoted as saying by the Indian media. Ashok threatened that if he doesn’t get his job back, he would commit suicide, as he has no money left to take care of his family. His interrogation was on till late evening at the Parliament Street police station.
BSF officials refused to comment on the issue saying they didn’t have any information about Ashok’s termination from the force. “We don’t know too many details about this incident. We will investigate the matter,” said Vijay Singh, PRO BSF.
The BSF, which protests India’s borders with several countries, has been beset by scandals recently. Last year, a female-only unit raised from poor villages of the northwest and the northeast sparked a controversy when reports indicated it would be posted in Indian-occupied Kashmir to help reduce the high rate of suicide incidents in Indian Army units posted there for long tours of duty. Some Indian media reports suggested the unit was raised to provide sexual incentive to army units serving in difficult regions for extended periods of time.
India is spending $30 billion on weapons acquisitions from the United States, Russia and other countries to bolster its quest for superpower status.
Critics say the militarization drive comes at the expense of India’s poor, the largest anywhere in the world.
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