DEFENCE NOTES
New Delhi, 9 January 2006
Army Day Thoughts
LEAVE THE ARMED FORCES
ALONE
By B.K. Mathur
Come January, and the annual military rituals in the coldest
month of the year: the Army Day celebrations on January 15, followed by the
Republic Day festivities and finally Beating the Retreat. Some thoughts cross the mind on the eve of
the Army Day, being celebrated at a time when northern India is
freezing in an unprecedented “white winter”.
Think of the hardship which our men in olive green face on the Himalayan
heights in Siachen Glacier, the “ball of ice”, and lately in the Kargil and Dras
sectors. Nearly 15,000 armymen are providing security to the nation in this
sector after the 1999 confrontation with Pakistan, facing more problems than
even in the Siachen sector.
About these problems another time. Presently, some unhappy trends in India’s
armed forces, once the envy of the entire world for their discipline,
professionalism and valour proved time and again in several battles they have
fought prior to freedom and thereafter. The Army Day, celebrated on January 15
every year because on this day in 1948 Field Marshal K.M. Carriappa became the
first Indian to command the Indian Army, reminds one of great army traditions
and value-based service under him. At once, another thought comes to mind:
Indian Army then and now.
History tells us how disciplined India’s fauji was in olden days when service for a national cause was
considered more important, in fact a sole criteria, than a service for self, a
fast-growing tendency not only in the Indian army but also in all the three
defence services. The degradation of values, fall of discipline and integrity
are really a matter of great concern to the military top-brass, to the extent
that not long ago a need was felt to undertake expert studies and ascertain the
reasons for falling standards. For one
who has been associated with the Indian army for more than four decades, first
as a trainee and then a writer, the decline looks very very sharp.
The fast-growing indiscipline, insubordination, weak and
corrupt command and control have been compounded by increasing political
intervention in the control of the armed forces, and in the transfers and
posting at the higher command structure. This has done a lot of harm to recruitment into the forces. The youth is just
not interested in opting the forces for their career. They have better options. In this context it needs to be understood
that unless sufficient number of youngsters, and that too of the right calibre,
are forthcoming from the training academies, we may not have sufficient number
of qualified Officers for the higher commands.
Further damage is done to the force, when government interference takes
place in the appointment of senior commanders for political seasons.
This does not mean to suggest in the least that the
Government should not have its say in the appointments, promotions and postings
of senior commanders. Democracy means
control over the military. But it needs to be within limits, and not at the
cost of the morale of the forces. This
again reminds one of the time when Sandhurst-trained Cariappa took over the
command of the Indian army. How
political intervention had preceded Cariappa’s appointment. Not many would know
today that free India’s
first Army Chief may well have been Lt-General Nathu Singh, and not
Cariappa. Nehru and several others in
the Government at that time had favoured Nathu Singh’s appointment. But the
value-based Lt.-General did not allow that to happen and turned down the
proposal on the plea that Cariappa was senior to him and that he would not like
to supersede him in the interest of the force’s morale.
There are several such stories which some retired Officers
who worked under Cariappa in the British Indian Army tell us now. How strictly the General followed the dress
code, off-the-unit behaviour and, above all, the value of the rank and service. However, this is not the subject today. Cariappa is today remembered in the context
of the present state of India’s
armed forces. Today, hundreds of cases
are pending in courts of law against the Court Martial decisions concerning
non-compliance of orders, promotions and postings. There are several causes for
this, one major and most damaging being the inferior in-take into the armed
forces.
As noticed earlier, politicians often influence promotions
and postings in senior ranks of the armed forces in India. But of late the malady has unfortunately
become more blatant. The latest is the
case of two Lt-Generals for whose promotions “special reviews” have taken place
and, in one case, a special promotion board created, just because a senior
politician and a former Union Minister was interested in the concerned Officer. After having been denied promotion earlier,
the Major-General had filed a “statutory compliant” to the Ministry of Defence,
which granted “redressal” to the Officer.
He now gets the next rank, which would give him two years more in the
Lt-General’s uniform. If he had remained
a Major-General he would have retired this month.
Not long ago, another “politically connected” senior Officer
of the Army was promoted as Lt-General a day before he was to retire as
Major-General. At that time, the Ministry suddenly created two additional
vacancies of the rank of Lt-General. Such incidents obviously encourage
Officers to try to use political clout to get ahead in their career even at the
middle level. Remember, some time back, Air Marshal Manjit Singh Shekhon, the,
then, Chief of the Southern Air Command, had written to Parkash Singh Badal,
then Chief Minister of Punjab, to intercede on his behalf with the Prime
Minister at that time, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
It is another matter that this came to light and Sekhon was forced to
put in his papers. Unfortunately, cases
of such nature are increasing by the day.
Worse has happened to India’s armed forces recently. The caste, region and community were never
known in the armed forces. But they are
being highlighted of late, thanks to the electoral politics of India. A
proposal has recently been made seeking changes in the Army’s regimental system
and also reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The demand has been made by none other than
the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and former
Governor, Suraj Bhan. Earlier, L.K. Advani as the Dy. Prime Minister had
promised to raise a Gujarat Regiment during his election campaign in Gandhi
Nagar for the Lok Sabha poll in 2004.
Demands for new Regiments have also been made by senior politicians in States
like Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
This kind of demands would do the country’s armed forces
greatest harm – not only to the might of the forces and the globally known
valour of the jawans, but also to its
Regimental history and traditions. It
should be the earnest endeavour of both civil and military leadership to look
after the interests of India’s
mighty armed forces in every way.
General N.C. Vij rightly stated as the Chief of the Army Staff, our
priorities should be primarily “aimed at creating a well-built war fighting
machine and facing any eventuality with vigour and professionalism…” One important requirement for this goal is to
leave the forces alone. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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