A Soldier's Dilemma

I was posted to Chattisgarh

To quell the Naxal movement 

Armed with artillery

funded  By foreign nations, intent on

Destabilizing the government 

Hiding in the dense Sal forests

And in the dry riverine terrain

Were my own countrymen who had

Sold their souls for a pittance

A battle to ensue with my own people!

I was ordered to shoot them at sight

I was ordered to stay with my battalion

Till the insurgents were killed, captured,

Handcuffed, brought back alive, 

Not an easy feat for a soldier to kill

To defend my country is a pledge I've taken

Across the borders, or internecine wars within

Took up the task, but felt mentally crippled

When it came to shooting my brethren.

Peace had to be restored in the region