They are not martyrs, they were sacrificed.

Insult, humiliation, sorrow and a deep burning anger, but no surprise. An attack on an army base in Kashmir by 4 jihadists killed 17 soldiers, a ratio of over 1:4. How shameful is that? This was not some small outpost on a remote hill, it was the brigade headquarters. The attack took place a 5.30 AM, apparently when all the soldiers were sleeping. This is just 9 months after the attack on the airbase at Pathankot. As civilians we think that the first thing the army would do in a hostile area is to establish a perimeter, like the US does. US bases in Afghanistan, a foreign country, were heavily fortified so that the Taliban could never get close to them despite innumerable attempts, whereas we cannot protect our soldiers inside our own country.  Our generals seem to know little and learn nothing. How could 4 terrorists enter so easily? Where were the trenches, the concrete walls, the barbed wire and radar to look for movement? Why no sentries with night vision goggles? General Dalbir Singh became Commander in Chief under controversial circumstances. He has alleged malfeasance against one of his predecessors, Gen VK Singh, at the Supreme Court who, he says, tried to halt his promotion because of "malafide intent". Surely, he should take full responsibility for the latest deaths of soldiers under his command and resign. India is proud that the army has always been under civilian control, unlike in Pakistan where the elected government takes orders from the army. So the ultimate responsibility for the latest deaths are on the politicians. While useless civil servants get humongous pay rises and politicians cavort round the world on our money, soldiers die because of lack of proper equipment. Most of the defence budget of Rs 2.58 trillion goes on salaries and pensions. Capital expenditure is only Rs 786 billion this year but that is in the hands of the government. We are spending a large amount on Rafale jets and Scorpene submarines, whose designs have been leaked by a disgruntled employee in France. What for? We are never going to use them. They maybe used to ferry politicians and civil servants and their families for marriage parties and other occasions. Nothing we can do about that. What about supplying our soldiers with spades to dig ditches, barbed wire, and cement and bricks to build concrete walls around army camps? Drones with cameras cost from $400 to $1300 and are available online. And if we are serious about protecting our soldiers how about buying a few of these babies from South Korea? Our wise politicians are mulling 'graded options'. They reject knee-jerk reactions. So what are the grades of options? Should we bow from the waste, crawl on all fours or lie down prone, known as 'sashtang' in Sanskrit? Not much to be proud of, have we?