The Army Has Been Caricatured

AN INSTITUTION DESTROYED BY GENERAL VIJAY KUMAR SINGH,CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF, INDIAN ARMY

The imbroglio involving General Vijay Kumar Singh and the Government is much beyond the facts as exist and cited by the former, relating to his Date of Birth. The issue when it first came up seriously within the Army Headquarters (AHQs) for resolution, as it would have corresponding consequences upon the service tenure and military position of the aggrieved officer, should have been fully settled in house and not brought into the public domain. Vijay Kumar Singh would have been well justified in ‘sticking it out’ with his just claim premised on facts as evidenced from all documents maintained in the officer’s service record, maintained with the Adjutant General’s Branch. Truth is its own evidence. The onus for settling the facetious dispute rested largely with the officer and not the AHQs. It was then that, the officer’s now tall claim of taking an issue with the Government to protect his Honor and Integrity, would have seemed genuine and convincing. Unfortunately, this claim now seems an inane and hollow moral grandstanding, which fails to settle with those who consider Truth as Non Negotiable, irrespective of the consequences thereof.

General Vijay K Singh has by agreeing upon his particular date of birth, as perceived by his superior and predecessor, precluded himself from subsequently and now contesting the matter on the same facts which existed even then. After having taken advantage of whatever suited him then, the pathetic plea of being coerced into agreeing upon that particular date of birth, is at the least ridiculous. This in law is termed as estoppel and makes sense of the Attorney General’s opinion in the entire controversy, as given to the Ministry of Defence.

My take on the entire matter of this uncalled for controversy, involving not only an individual but also an institution and the government served by this very institution, is that of distaste and aversion. At a point in time when the Indian Army was disgraced by a series of scams involving its one, two, three and four star general officers, who had misused their office and authority to obtain financial, material and positional advantage; Vijay Kumar Singh as its new Chief of Army Staff had promised the Army and the Nation to clean the Augean Stables, which had sullied the reputation of  the former, over the years. This declaration was extremely well received by the rank and file and hope was infused into the hearts of soldiers, who valued character, courage and competence over all else. Emboldened by this turn of things in the Army, I wrote to the Chief of Army Staff and sent him my book PASSION FOR COURAGE-A WINNER’S CREED, as the underlying theme of the book is character driven leadership. I saw a window of opportunity to reinforce the sentiment and restore belief in young and middle rung officers in the merit of abiding by the dictates of one’s conscience and not jettisoning the principle of truth in the discharge of one’s duty. I think General VK Singh missed the point which I have made in my book and which is “An officer, who is true to his calling must forever remain wary of being inveigled into succumbing to the temptation of self justification, on matters of a misplaced sense of rectitude, probity, uprightness and pragmatism”.

The General Officer’s competence and integrity as perceived by the public at large is not a matter into which I will delve into or even doubt, but surely will not desist from writing about what is understood by me as honor and integrity, values which the officer is being manipulative about in his public moral grandstanding. for the nation’s consumption. When the General was a young officer in 2^nd Rajput Regiment, he had once overstayed leave granted to him. The matter, in accordance with rules on the subject was correctly reported to all concerned in the channel of command and reporting. As VK Singh enjoyed some political patronage then and was able to prevail through the offices of someone influential and important in the set up, a most absurd situation developed. The Officiating Commanding Officer (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti, who had reported the matter through an official correspondence was first asked and later pressurized to withdraw the said correspondence. The officer refused to do so, on grounds of principles and integrity. The implication for asking for the correspondence to be withdrawn was to desist from taking any disciplinary action against the defaulter as provided for within the provisos of the Army Act. Vijay Kumar Singh then was liable to be dealt with and punished for the lapse, by the then Brigade Commander. In view of the personality involved at the highest level to orchestrate this relief for the officer, the system developed cold feet and somehow diffused the situation in favor of the defaulter. An absurd closure to a prima facie case of overstaying leave granted to an officer. The matter did not end here. The gutsy and upright Officiating Commanding Officer, (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti who refused to budge from his position, was isolated and singled out for exercising his lawful prerogative and pushed in a series of events, which followed from this incident, into an extreme position of fearing for his life at the hands of an insensitive and moth eaten SYSTEM. The insanity prevailed to such an extent that our own troops were formed up to attack the Company Post where (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti along with his loyal and trusted soldiers had located himself, for reasons of his personal safety and security. The matter was brought to a closure when (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti surrendered to the Chief of Staff of his Corps Headquarter and was proceeded against under the Army Act. The officer was later cashiered from service, without any pension benefits.

The reason why I have narrated this episode here is because, General VK Singh was fully privy to and seized of what the meaning of one’s HONOR and INTEGRITY is. Having seen it with his own eyes from a ringside view, when (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti never caring for the depth of the whirlpool he was plunging himself into, only because his conscience demanded it. General, I for one thought that you will fully comprehend the meaning  of one’s HONOUR and INTEGRITY in totality and not selectively, as you conveniently make it out to be in your civil writ petition submitted to the Supreme Court of India. It does not go down well with me and most who have understood the issue in its essence. Whether the Honorable Court decides in your favor or not is inconsequential to me as a Military Veteran, because in bringing this whole matter into the public domain you have discredited the Army and destroyed the Institution of the Chief of Army Staff. It seems to me that somewhere poetic justice will have caught up with you, deep within your own soul. You could have learnt your lesson well under the tutelage of your brother officer and Officiating Commanding Officer, (Late) Major Dharam Pal Kukreti, that HONOR and INTEGRITY are not hollow words to be bandied about for the gallery, but much deeper in meaning and import, which are NON NEGOTIABLE. I am afraid in your case these are being used rather expediently than otherwise. I wish you well but with a sense of immense personal grief at the ARMY’S LOSS.

Brigadier Sarvesh Dangwal, VSM

E102-Arborea

Tarla Nagal

PO Kulhan

Dehra Dun-248001

09410900051