cyphercide
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A letter which caused embarrassment as opposed to a report which hashes out the details of even the ops of the TSD under DIA (which should have never been a subject anyway), this is a body blow to the forward ELINT capabilities of the IA and everyone is running around burnishing their political loyalties. We have indeed become Bangladesh.
No. If you do remember, the letter hashes out the dirty linen about our armory, air defense and the state of readiness of our Armed Forces in general. How exactly is that excusable in your eyes? Either way, Mr. Singh plans to file an RTI to disclose the report in its entirety. I'm sure that you also realize the unit has been disbanded.
Perhaps I wasn't being articulate enough presenting my point of view. The blame entirely lies with the weekend booze. The following article captures the quintessence of what I was trying to convey(more or less):
Whats more important in the latest controversy involving Gen VK Singh the question of timing of the leakage of the damning report against him or the gravity of the content? In a sober world, the first reaction would be a demand for verification of facts to determine the truth. This is simply because charges being levelled against him are indeed grave. These do no good to the reputation of the former Army chief or the Indian Army itself.
Unfortunately, we dont live in a sober world. Everybody out there seems to be in the business of jumping to conclusions and giving quick clean chits. Over the years, one cannot help noting, sections of the Indian media have become more adept at obfuscating facts than the original practitioners of the art, the politicians. What are the charges against Gen VK Singh in the Army Board of Officers Inquiry report as disclosed in The Indian Express? He paid off an NGO to try alter the line of succession in the Army; he tried to bring down the democratically elected government in Jammu & Kashmir; he set up the Technical Services Division to conduct unauthorised covert operations, all this, as the report suggests, misusing the secret service funds. The acts amount to treason, betrayal of the country, thus serious in nature. At stake here is not only the credibility of the former Army chief, but also that of the institution of the Indian Army. Coming from an inquiry by senior officers in the Army it was not ordered by the UPA government it should have evoked concern, if not shock. What we had instead is frenzied attempts at dismissing the report and its politicisation in the media. Timing was the convenient argument. It was linked quickly to Gen Singh sharing the dais with BJPs prime ministerial choice Narendra Modi in Haryana six days ago.
The problem with the timing is there is no time safe from prejudiced observations. Had the report been leaked six days ago or six days even before that or six days later when it became public, the timing argument would still have held. It requires little intelligence to connect one date to the other particularly when the person in question is a politically active public figure. Linking the whole thing to Modi, the medias eyeball magnet, is still easier. But lets come down to the serious part of the report, which one is afraid only a few journalists have access to. Whatever has appeared in The Indian Express raises some uncomfortable questions. This is, as we have mentioned earlier, an internal inquiry report. Are we questioning the integrity of the senior Army officers involved in its preparation while dismissing it off hand? The reactions in the media suggest, though not explicitly, that the report was prepared with mala fide intent. If that is the case then an independent probe is called for. The Army should not be in the business of witch-hunt. Was Gen VK Singh playing political games for the BJP as some in the political class would suggest? Was the current Army Chief Bikram Singh, who ordered the probe, trying to frame his predecessor under the Congress influence? Or, was it just a case of personal vendetta going too far? Whatever the case, it does not show the Indian Army in edifying light. Again, only an independent probe would reveal how far the rot has spread in the institution.
Politicisation of the Army is a dangerous trend. It needs to be stopped before it leaves its command and control architecture in jeopardy. Is Rs 1.22 crore enough to bring down a democratically elected government? The question is wholly irrelevant in the absence of complete information. But if at all any amount, even a fraction of it, has been spent in that direction that is unpardonable. Now, how did that number and the motive find place in the Board of Officers report? Army officers are supposed to be dignified, no-nonsense people. Surely something is fishy here. There is either a conspiracy to fix Gen VK Singh or he is guilty. The medias quick clean chit and timing argument take the attention off the real questions. It is in the interest of Gen VK Singh and the Army to invite a probe.
Damning report: Why it is necessary for Gen VK Singh to come clean | Firstpost
