TIMELINE / For your understanding / Why is such desperation to appoint Army Chief?
Why is General Bikram Singh and the PMO so desperate to appoint Suhag?
The PMO's 'Line of Succession' devised by General JJ Singh to ensure the current Chief getting the top job is well documented. Question now is why is the outgoing UPA so desperate to place 'their man' in place.
Answer perhaps lies in the ongoing J&K encounter case which despite the best efforts of the Army continues to simmer and haunt General Bikram Singh. Evidence suppressed for the last two years is now surfacing (3 affidavits) that indicate that the Janglat Mandi incident was a set up to grandiose the Brigade Commander but which went horribly wrong. An Indian Army Colonel, one jawan, and three civilians were killed in which the fleeing General (then Brigadier) Bikram Singh also collected a bullet in the back. The incident was blamed on one of the civilian victims, a 70-year old man, who the police and army claimed was Matteen Chacha, a dreaded terrorist.
Affidavits of the wives and four eye witnesses claim that there were no terrorists involved in the encounter, only surrendered militants who were under the command of Bikram Singh himself.
Once the age issue had been put in place to truncate Gen VK Singh's tenure, Lt Gen Suhag the then GOC 3 Corps who was directly under Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the Eastern Army Commander, became the 'cats paw' in an attempt to defame VK Singh.
The 3 Corps Intel Unit, headed by a Colonel Sreekumar, himself a former key aide to General JJ Singh (and since Governor of Arunachal) was accused of killing three Manipuri boys by the units own second in command, one Major T Ravi Kiran. Generals Bikram singh and Suhag who had since taken over 3 Corps, refused to move against the officer despite repeated nudges from Army HQ.
Col Sreekumar was then seen in Delhi and is suspected to have been the brain behind the TSD story in which General VK Singh was accused of evesdropping on the RM, PM and sonia Gandhi. It later transpired these vehicles never belonged to the Army but belonged to the DIA, an intelligence unit under the MOD then headed by Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, who had been accused of attempting to bribe General VK Singh with regards to the Tatra trucks.
Sreekumar's unit was then subsequently involved in the Jorhat raid where his unit was allegedly involved in contract killings. Smart police work tracked down the raiding party to 3 Corps HQ. Gen Suhag refused to cooperate citing AFSPA, but the Army returned the stollen goods which included a pistol, a lap top, cell phones and cash.
In the ensuing hue and cry in the Northeast, Assam CM wrote to VK Singh demanding action.
With less than a fortnight to go before Gen Bikram Singh took over as the Chief from him, VK singh issued a DV Ban against Gen Suhag, who had also deviously been cleared by the PMO in the parachute scam.
Gen Bikram Singh, however, against all norms, kept the post of Army Commander vacant and over turned the DV Ban. A Brigadier, who hailed from Manipur and who opposed the revoking, was immediately 'removed' and court martial proceedings on trumped up charges were initiated against him.
DV Ban however, resulted in a formal court martial and the Army found all fifteen officers guilty. The punishment metted out against these offending personnel was extremely mild, resulting in the Guwahati HC stepping in and asking for all the records of the Court Martial. Logic was clear - if dacoity was established, how could these people be let off with mild rebukes when under the IPC similar crimes attracted a minimum of 5 years RI.
99% cases, next chief is announced 2 months before, with the VK Singh/Bikram Singh transition being 3 months. UPA decided to follow the same route.
Dr Subramanian Swamy wrote to the President pointing out this undue haste along with other matters. Same day President asked the PMO to look into the matter. The ACC file that had been initiated for Gen Suhag's elevation, was returned to the MOD as there was no Vigilance clearance.
However, with time running out, the matter was referred to the EC, who had already said they had nothing to do with it. On getting approval to 'initiate the process' the ACC file was again moved on the 12th of May, despite the fact that the unresolved Jorhat case meant there could be no Vigilance clearance.
ACC file was cleared by Dr Manmohan Singh in what may well be his last act in the UPA government. However, as it would meet the President's sanction in the absence of Vigilance clearance, the Press Advisor to the PM, Pankaj Pachouri ordered PTI to put out a story at 5 pm saying Gen Suhag will be the next Chief.
Taken completely by surprise, both MOD and Presidents Secretariat confirmed they had no role to play in the bizarre announcement.
UPA is now banking on two factors, having laid an egg that could embarrass the President and the next Government. With the Haryana state elections around the corner, it is felt that no one will have the guts to overturn this 'decision'. Meanwhile, General Bikram singh can also breath a little easier, knowing his grateful successor will shield him in the J&K case for atleast two more years.
JAI HIND