Mayank Singh goes beyond the Sukna scam and says that the country’s armed forces will do well to adhere to the principle of ‘United we stand, Divided we fall’
A 30-km drive from Siliguri on the way to Darjeeling will bring you to the forest area of Sukna. Famous as a crossing point for wild elephants, the area is home to a large Army establishment. Of course, by now, it has already been made infamous by alleged actions of top officers of the Army. But beyond the scam and the sham, it has brought to the fore a more important matter - possible rift between two senior-most officers of the Indian Army, who are supposed to be brand ambassadors of the institution. In the light of the recent developments, it is necessary to analyse the repercussion of such divides.
Our Armed Forces have always been viewed as highly professional, combat-rich and disciplined. For a common man, a soldier is a man of high morality and many virtues. No wonder, news of officers selling subsidised items meant for soldiers to make money, faking encounters by smearing ketchup to appropriate gallantry medals or, for that matter, colluding with civilians to usurp benefits in cash or kind evoke a feeling of betrayal. The news of two generals, working with a feeling of vendetta, and targeting officers because one is deemed to be close to the other, has far-reaching effect.
An officer, who starts serving a unit and works under the command of various officers, is exposed to different styles of leadership. This adds to his skill set in man management and tactical planning. The new officers not only learn professional skills but they also pick up nuances of managing expensive and important resources at their discretion. At this stage, if officers are seen or, for that matter, even heard of using the resources for their personal benefits, they are despised by the lot. Manipulations come out not just in form of tents, clothing, ration being sold in the open market but also in the form of buying substandard weapons.
Selling soldiers’ due and compromising on weapon quality hurts preparedness and national security. This vice gets compounded when an officer is under compulsion to please factions of superior officers. When TSI spoke to senior serving and retired officers, they expressed sadness. One retired lieutenant general narrated an incident where Lieutenant General S. K. Sinha was overlooked even after being the senior-most officer in the line to become the Army Chief. He said on the condition of anonymity, “A situation of infighting between two different groups had come up when Lieutenant General Sinha was overlooked. We could openly witness different groups talking ill about each other.”
Such situations land officers in uncomfortable situations and some are compelled to confirm to a particular group. Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan, who retired as the Deputy Army Chief, believes that incidents of rifts send a bad message down the line and it affects the morale of the force. Another retired general, who is now a defence analyst, blames it on wrong appointments in senior positions. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said, “Once wrong people reach senior positions, their actions and priorities lead to a loss of camaraderie. This also sets wrong examples for junior officers down the line.”
The senior officers also pointed out to rift between the various arms of the force, termed inter-arm rivalry in the forces’ parlance. Promotions in the Army happen after exhaustive consultation and recommendation of senior officers and past reports
A 30-km drive from Siliguri on the way to Darjeeling will bring you to the forest area of Sukna. Famous as a crossing point for wild elephants, the area is home to a large Army establishment. Of course, by now, it has already been made infamous by alleged actions of top officers of the Army. But beyond the scam and the sham, it has brought to the fore a more important matter - possible rift between two senior-most officers of the Indian Army, who are supposed to be brand ambassadors of the institution. In the light of the recent developments, it is necessary to analyse the repercussion of such divides.
Our Armed Forces have always been viewed as highly professional, combat-rich and disciplined. For a common man, a soldier is a man of high morality and many virtues. No wonder, news of officers selling subsidised items meant for soldiers to make money, faking encounters by smearing ketchup to appropriate gallantry medals or, for that matter, colluding with civilians to usurp benefits in cash or kind evoke a feeling of betrayal. The news of two generals, working with a feeling of vendetta, and targeting officers because one is deemed to be close to the other, has far-reaching effect.
An officer, who starts serving a unit and works under the command of various officers, is exposed to different styles of leadership. This adds to his skill set in man management and tactical planning. The new officers not only learn professional skills but they also pick up nuances of managing expensive and important resources at their discretion. At this stage, if officers are seen or, for that matter, even heard of using the resources for their personal benefits, they are despised by the lot. Manipulations come out not just in form of tents, clothing, ration being sold in the open market but also in the form of buying substandard weapons.
Selling soldiers’ due and compromising on weapon quality hurts preparedness and national security. This vice gets compounded when an officer is under compulsion to please factions of superior officers. When TSI spoke to senior serving and retired officers, they expressed sadness. One retired lieutenant general narrated an incident where Lieutenant General S. K. Sinha was overlooked even after being the senior-most officer in the line to become the Army Chief. He said on the condition of anonymity, “A situation of infighting between two different groups had come up when Lieutenant General Sinha was overlooked. We could openly witness different groups talking ill about each other.”
Such situations land officers in uncomfortable situations and some are compelled to confirm to a particular group. Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan, who retired as the Deputy Army Chief, believes that incidents of rifts send a bad message down the line and it affects the morale of the force. Another retired general, who is now a defence analyst, blames it on wrong appointments in senior positions. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said, “Once wrong people reach senior positions, their actions and priorities lead to a loss of camaraderie. This also sets wrong examples for junior officers down the line.”
The senior officers also pointed out to rift between the various arms of the force, termed inter-arm rivalry in the forces’ parlance. Promotions in the Army happen after exhaustive consultation and recommendation of senior officers and past reports
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