tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post2552846389283302934..comments2024-03-27T14:30:21.480+05:30Comments on India of My Dreams: Armed Forces Must Stem CorruptionINDIA OFMY DREAMShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08354654681348443147noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post-30913747175707773032011-02-23T13:53:38.770+05:302011-02-23T13:53:38.770+05:30(Part-2) continued from previous ie (Part-1)
We a...(Part-2) continued from previous ie (Part-1)<br /><br />We all agree that the Army takes such aberrations seriously & is quick to react. The recent trend in Sukhna Land Scam & the Rations Scam points to the fact that no one, however Senior he may be in the Rank & Status, can escape justice. Is it not a healthy sign?<br /> <br />We can also quote umpteen examples of how the Civil Bureaucrats manage to go Scot Free, even in cases like Tehelka. That is the reason why they are despised & condemned by the entire Nation. By quoting such examples, are we to allow our delinquents also to follow suit?<br /> <br />To my mind the Army is correct in its approach of dealing firmly with the errant Generals, who have lost their Moral Fibre. The time has come for the Armed Forces to reassert their clean image, by sending a message to the people of our country that Corruption in the Forces is an exception & not the Rule, as is perceived by them in connection with the Politicians, Bureaucrats & now, even the Judiciary.<br /> <br />If lack of monetary compensation for the job alone is the guide line for increase in corruption in the Armed Forces, then we may not find suitable Officers to convene even a Court Martial. The very fact KK Punchhi himself has brought out that only a minuscule percentage of Officers from the Armed Forces have indulged in corruption, shows that in our case the fish has not started rotting from the head.<br /> <br />We all are quite upset with the Media for exploiting the situation & sensationalising even a trivial news about Army's misdemeanour. What we lack is an effective PR. For example, all the scams, but for Tehelka, were uncovered by the Army itself, through its own internal mechanism. The Media exploited some leaked Enquiry Reports to show the public, as if they uncovered the whole rot. Armed Forces must work on this vital aspect, in addition to the other measures that are being projected to curb the corruption.<br /> <br />Regards,<br /> <br />Col (Retd) TN Raman<br /><br />ConcludedINDIA OFMY DREAMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08354654681348443147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post-52075366883868920152011-02-23T13:51:08.230+05:302011-02-23T13:51:08.230+05:30Part-1
Dear Veterans,
The article by Lt Gen SK ...Part-1<br /><br />Dear Veterans,<br /> <br />The article by Lt Gen SK Bahri, written to the Press may not be published, not because of lack of logic and contents (which are excellently projected), but for its frank analysis of the problem of corruption in the Army Vis a Vis the Politicians & the Bureaucrats. <br /> <br />Army Act 63 is no doubt an effective weapon in the armoury of the Military Law & Discipline. But let us not forget that it is not used against an innocent soldier. When it came to corruption, the general public believed that there were only two pillars in our society, which were above this phenomenon. First was Judiciary & the second was the Armed Forces. In the last couple of decades, the Judiciary had lost its sheen of claiming to be above corruption. Many Chief Justices themselves had acknowledged this fact & called for cleansing the system.<br /> <br />When the same trend started showing its ugly head in the Armed Forces, the reaction of the common man was, 'You too Brutus?" It only shows the highest esteem the public had for its Armed Forces. Even in our days, there were instances of corruption which were more in the nature of pilferage of Petrol, Oil & Lubricants (POL) or Rations. There were instances of bad accounting, misuse of Regimental Funds & Canteen Funds. They were all dealt within the house & no culprit ever escaped, if caught. I remember a Major, in 1972 being Court Martialled for pilfering two Jerrycans of Petrol. He lost three years loss of seniority for both promotion & pension. Unfortunately, the total loss to the Govt was only Rs 68/- (the cost of petrol was just Rs 1.35/- per ltr).<br /> <br />Veteran KK Punchhi, has rightly brought in the issue of Lack of Moral Fibre (LMF). That was the exact words used by the Presiding Officer of the Court Martial, while awarding the sentence. When I was doing Staff College, two officers were given Reprimand to be recorded in their Course Reports, for copying. In judiciary, last year seven Magistrates & Judicial Officers were caught for the same offence, while taking their examinations. The visual media did play up that incident for at least three days.<br /> <br />Now from 'Lack of Moral Fibre', some of the Senior Officers have started showing 'Loss of Moral Fibre'. Even in IPKF operations, a Major General was put under Military Custody, for indulging in Local Purchase of tea leaves, from a Furniture Dealer. While being escorted in a train by two Majors, form Chennai to Secunderabad, to face the Court Martial, he managed to vanish from their custody, at Vijayawada Junction. The result was, the Major General went into hiding till his Retirement which was only a month ahead, and the poor Majors received Red Ink Entries for dereliction of duty.<br /> <br />Regards,<br /> <br />Col (Retd) TN Raman<br />Comments in two Parts (Part-2 follows)INDIA OFMY DREAMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08354654681348443147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post-6948226862142536342011-02-22T11:06:15.748+05:302011-02-22T11:06:15.748+05:30Dear Col Anand,
Well even one officer of this natu...Dear Col Anand,<br />Well even one officer of this nature should not be kept on appointments which deals with money.We have to make our country free of scams and corruption and few dept like Army is on right track.<br />Comdt BPSingh<br />www.indiancpmf.blogspot.comB P Singh Maidhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18107550917523973871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post-43839850630100670492011-02-22T10:58:51.968+05:302011-02-22T10:58:51.968+05:30Dear General Bahri and Veteran Krishan Puchhi,
I ...Dear General Bahri and Veteran Krishan Puchhi,<br /><br />I very much appreciate the noble thoughts expressed by you both. But, your expressions seem to be a cry in the wilderness. This message may reach hundreds or thousands or may be lacks of people who really do not matter in the hierarchy. What is eventually going to happen? Do you think our thick skinned and immunish leaders and bureaucrats would ever act on such such practical suggestions, instead they would certainly brush them aside to continue with their misdeeds to disrepute and dishonour the country and its citizens unabated.<br /><br />Something more than just making noises would have to be done. I am sure a large number of our citizens want that the Government should be forced and compelled to hand over administration to the Army for two to three years at least to set the house in order.<br /><br />Col LK Anand RetdINDIA OFMY DREAMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08354654681348443147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1937088411451927836.post-31993435673695141162011-02-22T10:39:27.208+05:302011-02-22T10:39:27.208+05:30Dear Satish,
Thank you for sending a very nice m...Dear Satish,<br /> <br />Thank you for sending a very nice mail and a letter to the editor. Hope he publishes it.<br /><br />I have been thinking of writing to you and share a few thoughts, I'll do it now.<br /> <br />In the present case as also in the cases pertaining to Sukna and Tehelka, the Services acted quickly and penalised the guilty. However, not a single guilty person in the civilian sector was even charged, let alone tried and punished. In fact, one of the Tehelka babus was made a governor to ensure he was out of reach of the arm of law. I'm afraid the same story may repeat itself where Adarsh scam is concerned.<br /> <br />I have been 'thinking out of the box' as that is the current flavour. Supposing the Services announce the punishment but hold it in abeyance till the corresponding civilians too are tried and punished. That would certainly exert a pressure on the civilian mechanism. Maybe we should extend the ambit of court martial and include those whose actions result in adverse effect on the morale, efficiency etc of the armed forces. That will teach them a quick lesson.<br /> <br />You have used the figure of 40,000 and that may be the current officer strength of the army. In my arguments I use the figure of one lac, which is roughly the sanctioned officer strength of the three Services. I point out that even if fifty officers have been found to be below par, it works out to about one twentieth of one percent. Yet the 'free press' goes to town crying about it. There is a hidden agenda somewhere. In the current dispensation, the neta - babu unholy nexus are out to dishonour and overwhelm whosoever is seen to come in their way. These could be Defence Services personnel, BJP/NDA people, the 'Hindu Brigades or Saffron outfits'. They all are tarred with the same brush. We all must uphold the good name of the Services at least.<br /> <br />The next point is about Manmohan Singh. At least he now admits that he has his failings and limitations. It crossed my mind that many a cadet and GC were sent packing home for lack of moral fibre (LMF). Here we have the unelected prime leader of the country who has done nothing about all the numerous humongous scams around him. He is shamelessly hanging on to the gaddi. He even indulges in Hosni Mubarak speak to say that he has a certain job to perform (ha!) and he has never thought of resigning !! I wish the LMF formula was applied on him.<br /> <br />This mail is also being sent to a few BCC addressees for their info.<br /> <br />Regards.................Krishan.INDIA OFMY DREAMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08354654681348443147noreply@blogger.com