Revelations made by Baru and Parekh in their Books summarise that the Government at Delhi has been a great threat to national security.
Read on Devasahayam's views on meddling with national scurity. The subtitle: Corruption and treason are the worst forms of threat to national security. Are we sure that this combine is not in place in India?
From Gfiles: Vol. 8, Issue 1 April 2014
Kalyanaraman
Meddling with National Security?
Read on Devasahayam's views on meddling with national scurity. The subtitle: Corruption and treason are the worst forms of threat to national security. Are we sure that this combine is not in place in India?
From Gfiles: Vol. 8, Issue 1 April 2014
Kalyanaraman
Meddling with National Security?
M.G.Devasahayam
Some weeks ago a group of Kashmiri students in Meerut were slapped with sedition charges just because they cheered the Pakistani cricket team when it won a match against India in the Asia cup. Some months ago sedition cases were registered against hundreds of fisher-folk in the coastal villages of southern Tamil Nadu, just because they raised their voice against the unsafe and livelihood-killing Russian-built Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Some years ago sedition charges and National Security Act were invoked against Dr. Binayak Sen just because he had in his possession some ‘Naxalite’ leaflets and letters.
Section 124A of Indian Penal Code describes Sedition thus: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India….” In common parlance this is called treason, the most severe offence against the state, punishable with imprisonment for life. This provision of law is a powerful instrument to safeguard nation’s integrity, security and sovereignty and need to be used sparingly and with utmost diligence. But, in the virtual police state that we are, low level functionaries at the behest of fascist-type leaders and crony vested interests misuse this provision indiscriminately to suppress genuine dissent and protests that cause no threat to national security.
But when it comes to big bandicoots who openly and flauntingly indulge in activities that undermine nation’s security and sovereignty there is not a whimper as if they have total impunity. How else does one interpret the total inaction by the Government on the explosive formal complaint lodged by none other than a former Chief of the Indian Army to the Union Minister of Home Affairs on 13 November 2013? Probably this has happened for the first time in the annals of a democratic country. This shows the deep deprivation to which India’s governance has descended.
The array of charges in the complaint commence with the April 4, 2012 front-page banner-headlines in the Indian Express about the movement of a Hissar (Haryana) based mechanized infantry unit ‘towards Delhi’ on January 16, 2014 coinciding with the day General VK Singh approached the Supreme Court on his date of birth issue. The news report deliberately linked this move to “June 1984 when some mutineers from Sikh units had moved towards the capital in the wake of Operation Bluestar,” suggesting in a devious manner that the Hissar troop movement is also part of mutiny. The news report insinuated that the military leadership had turned politically incorrect and non-professional and Central Government has come under threat from our own Army. This is a clear case of ‘abetting mutiny by an officer, soldier in the Army and attempt to seduce any such officer and soldier from his allegiance or his duty’ attracting Section 131 IPC. This act being prejudicial to the defence of India and the security of the State also attracts Sections 3 (1) and (2) of the National Security Act 1980. The mens rea to commit the offence is evident from the fact that it had taken nearly three months to concoct, fabricate and put out a non-existingcoup d'état news story!
The second charge relates to a unit called the Technical Service Division (TSD). It was a covert operation agency, activities of which are directly related to the safety of the soldiers fighting on the borders, retribution on the enemy and the security of the citizens. By its very nature TSD operation was ‘top secret’. In that event, even the existence of TSD should never have been publicised. Further, if there is exposure of the actual working of the top-secret unit, leaking information about it could be treacherous, regardless of whether information is true or not.
Yet on March 2, 2012 India Today published a story that inter alia reads as below: “Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials say they are also concerned about the activities of a shadowy unit called the Technical Support Division within MI, which has reportedly been equipped with surveillance equipment. Who the targets were and for what purpose, are still not clear.” On 20thSeptember 2012 Indian Express reported that the Army has appointed Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia to head a panel that will review the functioning and efficacy of TSD that had gained notoriety following several allegations of irregularities. On 20thSeptember 2013 the same newspaper published a front page banner headlines story titled, “Unit set up by VK Singh used secret funds to try and topple J&K government, block Bikram Singh: Army probe” claiming to be a leak of a ‘Top Secret’ Army ‘Board of Officers inquiry’ report on the working of TSD. Even knowledge of the existence of TSD can help the nation's enemies and subvert the security of the country.
Indian Express made a blatantly false allegation that Army had paid money to J&K politicians to overthrow the duly elected Government of the State. The intention was to promote enmity between officers and soldiers of the Indian Army serving in Jammu & Kashmir and the government/people of that state thereby causing disturbance to harmony and national-integration.
Picking up from the Indian Express leak on TSD, on 24 September 2013 ‘The Hindu’ published a news story titled “VK Singh counters charges, admits ‘pro-India NGOs’ were funded”. This story inserted a blatantly false claim that ‘the panchayat elections of 2011 was a major achievement of the TSD’, a statement which the General never made. What is more, Editor of the Hindu went into a frenzy, got a story generated from the J&K Bureau Chief and published it on the Newspaper’s front page on 25 September 2013 stating that “an extremely serious apprehension of militant attacks on more than 33,000 panches and sarpanches had arisen because General VK Singh had completely discredited and maligned the panchayat elections of 2011.”
The General moved an application under Right to Information Act, 2005 before the Ministry of Defence asking for a copy of the said report of the Board of Officers and the details of the action taken in the wake of the same. While the same Report was freely floating among the select media, MoD informed him that the information so sought under the RTI Act cannot be provided as it was classified as secret under the section 8 (i) of the RTI Act!
Earlier, in March, 2012, someone in Government deliberately leaked out a top-secret letter from the COAS to the Prime Minister stating that “the army's tanks have run out of ammunition, the air defence is as good as obsolete and the infantry is short of critical weapons”. This leakage has been reportedly traced to an official in the Cabinet Secretariat and nothing is known as to what action has been taken in this regard so far.
The charges detailed above deal with very serious crimes of: promoting enmity between people of India, officers and soldiers of the Indian Army serving in Jammu & Kashmir and the people of that state; causing disturbance to harmony and national-integration; deliberately compromising the safety of the soldiers fighting on the borders and security of the citizens; abetting mutiny by an officer, soldier in the Army and attempting to seduce any such officer and soldier from his allegiance or his duty; willfully disclosing top-secret documents thereby threatening the sovereignty and integrity of India and the security of the State; deeply impacting the fighting capability and effectiveness of our Armed Forces in protecting citizens and safeguarding the nation’s security, integrity and sovereignty and serious prejudice to the defence of India and the security of the State
In his complaint the General categorically states that these serious offences have been committed due to abetment and conspiracy indulged in by civil and military officials (past and present) in the PMO, MoD, Army Headquarters and some prominent media personalities. According to him only thorough investigation would bring out the truth about who these persons are and what is their motive for indulging in activities aimed at destabilizing India and endangering its citizens.
The General is so sure of his facts that in a recent interview with an online daily www.thenewsminute.com he said this: “What we are dealing with here is nothing short of treason. Surely, it must be investigated. You find something against me I'll take it on the chest. But if these people are guilty, as they most certainly are, why are you shying away from taking any action? I think in most parts of the world treason is perhaps one of the most heinous of crimes.”
MHA maintained a stoic and deadly silence. The General therefore sent out a reminder on 09 December 2013. In this he had drawn attention to a letter written by former Naval Chief Admiral L. Ramdas along with senior civilian and military officials on 19 June 2012 to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister raising similar issues and seeking a Commission of Inquiry. Despite this reminder MHA remained deaf and dumb till the General through his advocate sent a legal Notice to Sushil Kumar Shinde to show cause as to why criminal action may not be initiated against him for his failure to act on the complaint regarding grave offences of sedition, treason and violation of Official Secrets Act by certain individuals as well as dereliction of duty in such a serious matter that has direct implication on India’s national security.
MHA panicked with its officials running around as ‘headless chicken’. But still there was only fraud and deceit in their minds and not effective action against the accused charged with treason. All they did was to send the General’s complaint with backdated forwarding letters marked ‘secret’ to Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Ministry of Defence for ‘appropriate action’. Can anything be more sinister and banal than this?
There was yet another attempted act of treason which was blocked by proactive counteraction by the veteran community led by General VK Singh and Lt. General Prakash Katoch. This pertained to the Ottawa based Atlantic Council, alleged to have links with Pakistan’s ISI, announcing in September 2012 the signing of an Agreement to demilitarize Siachen heights as part of Confidence Building Measure between India and Pakistan. This Agreement was negotiated by a 22-member India-Pakistan Track II team, headed on the Indian side by former Air Chief Marshall SP Tyagi, in its various meetings in Bangkok, Dubai, USA and finally at Lahore. This was despite the clear stand adopted by the Army, MoD and Ministry of External Affairs against ‘demilitarization’ of the glacier that has huge strategic value for India. The key facilitator in this act was a former Army Colonel, now a freelance blogger cum columnist who worked closely with the PMO very willing to consummate the Agreement!
Corruption and treason are the worst forms of threat to national security that have caused countries and governments to crumble and fall asunder. When both go hand-in-hand it is the deadliest of combinations that could destroy any nation or people. Are we sure this combine is not in place in India? The big question is,can the country hold, if so for how long?