Growing Crisis of Morality in the Indian Armed Forces Leadership

Dear Chander,
Two interesting and vividly written articles on the scams troubling our Defence Forces lately, one each by Maj Gen APS Chauhan (Former Chairman COAS Complaints Advisory Board) & Col SK agarwal (ex JAG Br) published in e-paper The Tribune, Chandigarh, dated 12 Nov 2010, are linked below. I feel that it desirable to circulate these through RMS blog for info of all.
With warm regards,
Maj Bhupal Singh, Veteran

GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)
Friday, November 12, 2010, Chandigarh, India
What has come to surface as series of misdeeds and misconduct at the highest level of military establishment, now with the chiefs as dramatis personae resorting to indulgence in satiating petty greed, is far from mere illegal transactions for appropriating assets not lawfully entitled to. It is an unimaginable misdemeanor, not in terms of material value or commission and omission in a state of forgetfulness as may be contrived, but in the impulse to commit the very act. This indicts these officers of willful disdain for military virtues and self-discipline in their own character when they are the custodians for ensuring the same in others.

Character is the keystone of the profession of arms and embedded in military virtues. These are not individual cases as one may believe, but group tendencies in a cycle of exposures over a period and a dangerous fall out from protracted corrosion in officer discipline and leadership accountability, with the military code shifting loyalty to fulfill personal agendas. When heads should have rolled at the top, it was never done.

TARNISHED BRASS: Some recent cases of professional impropriety by generals:

Adarsh Housing Society case : Large number of senior military officers, including service chiefs allegedly got flats in a Mumbai housing project that was initially conceived for families of Kargil heros, but later subverted to suit interests of influential people. The 38-story high-rise is under the scanner for building violations and also for posing a security risk as it overlooks army and navy installations.

Sukhna Land Scam : Three lieutenant generals and a major general among others indicted by a court of inquiry irregularities in issuing a NOC to a private party for commercial use of land adjoining a sensitive army station. Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash and Lt Gen P.K. Rath facing court martial.

Dry Ration and Frozen Meat Scam : Two lieutenant generals, S.K Sahni and S.K. Dhaiya from the Army Service Corps indicted for irregularities. Sahni being tried by a court martial while Dahiya got a reprimand.

Liquor Scam : Maj Gen G.I. Singh cashiered and awarded two years RI for illegally selling canteen liquor in the open market.

Procurement of UN Mission Supplies : Two major generals, Anil Swarup and S.P Sinha belonging to the Army ordnance Corps indicted for procuring items at highly inflated prices. Court martial proceedings against Swarup underway.

Molestation Case : Maj Gen A.K. Lal cashiered by general court martial for allegedly molesting a woman captain.

Tehelka Episode : Maj Gen P.S.K. Choudhry cashiered and awarded one year RI for demanding and accepting bribes from fictitious arms dealers.

Disproportionate Assets : Maj Gen Anand Kapur from the Army Service Corps booked by the CBI for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

JAG’s case : Maj Gen Nilendra Kumar, head of the Judge Advocate General’s Department awared Army Chief’s censure for several counts of impropriety.
(Several cases are pending before High Courts and the Armed Forces Tribunals, seeking a stay on or quashing of proceedings)

That these generals have been hoodwinking a practically foolproof selection procedure and drawing benefits from apparently flawed appraisals could not have happened without collusive or tacit abetment at the political -bureaucratic level that exercises primacy over all decision-making. For instance in the 90s an officer who should have been dismissed for cowardice in field rose to the level of army commander by dubious doctoring of his record because he was connected to a defence secretary. This happened in tandem with granting indiscreet favour to another who was connected to a political party. In another example, a defence minister colluded with brass on import of coffins. The previous army chief was under a cloud for transactions while as army commander, actually sabotaging an inquiry that could have pinned him down, but was shielded by the ministry.

The onus for arresting the fall from grace lies directly on the government that seems to be making a mockery of running a nation with an unabated tide of misdemeanors in its corridors. Time has come to roll heads. The generals involved must pay dearly for the shame they have brought to the profession of arms and its standing. In the meanwhile the Chief, having resolved and pledged to cleanse the institution, must be given unfretted support by the Government and the institution to purge the system, restore credibility and accountability with assured non-interference by politicians.
The writer is former chairman of the COAS Complaints Advisory Board
Read the complete version:
GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)

Plugging loopholes in the system
Corruption in the public life is well documented but it is just not acceptable in the armed forces for the very simple reason that the nation can ill afford to hand over security of the country's borders in the hands of corrupt officers. Such elements need to be weeded out, dealt with a firm hand, while honest officers and whistle blowers respected and rewarded to restore the trust and confidence of the public in the armed forces.
The writer retired from the Judge Advocate General's Department
Read more:
Plugging loopholes in the system by Col S.K. Aggarwal (Retd)