After Chief's salvo, Army does damage control
25 May 2012 7:24 AM GMT
A day after the army chief issued a show cause notice to 3 Corps commander, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, about an intelligence-based raid on a private contractor in Assam conducted in December, the army headquarters in South Block went on a damage control mode to lessen the fall-out of the order.
A senior official of the army told the media Thursday that since the incident took place in late December, the Court of Inquiry (COI) to be conducted by officials of the Eastern Command headquarters currently under the incoming army chief, Lt Gen Bikram Singh, was given a time frame to conclude its investigation.
That period was two months. But the COI delayed the inquiry and presented its report in mid-May, only about a fortnight before the present army chief, Gen VK Singh, was to retire. However, the general was not deterred by the little time he had before he demitted office and went ahead issuing the show-cause to an officer who was second in line to head the force, if the line of succession remained stable.
There were also reports that the army had handed over to the state police a non-commissioned officer (NCO). The official said that the NCO had to be given up because an Assam court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Â
The army official at South Block also said that the since the show cause notice was being issued against a senior lieutenant general, it had to be handled at the seniormost level, thus requiring the intervention of the present army chief.
It is to be noted that the Gen Singh had shown his displeasure at Lt Gen Suhag by forwarding a letter from a Trinamool Congress member of Parliament to the government about alleged financial irregularities in the running of the Special Frontier Force. Â
That complaint was negated by the government. So another front was opened. On that fateful night of December, an intelligence unit of 3 Corps raided the house of Assam resident who was a contractor working under the military engineering service. He was an alleged financier of the ULFA. The raid went awry when the army unit allegedly robbed his house off expensive artefacts and money. The victim went and reported to the Assam Police who launched a criminal process against the army. And the situation came to a head. Â
A senior official of the army told the media Thursday that since the incident took place in late December, the Court of Inquiry (COI) to be conducted by officials of the Eastern Command headquarters currently under the incoming army chief, Lt Gen Bikram Singh, was given a time frame to conclude its investigation.
That period was two months. But the COI delayed the inquiry and presented its report in mid-May, only about a fortnight before the present army chief, Gen VK Singh, was to retire. However, the general was not deterred by the little time he had before he demitted office and went ahead issuing the show-cause to an officer who was second in line to head the force, if the line of succession remained stable.
There were also reports that the army had handed over to the state police a non-commissioned officer (NCO). The official said that the NCO had to be given up because an Assam court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. Â
The army official at South Block also said that the since the show cause notice was being issued against a senior lieutenant general, it had to be handled at the seniormost level, thus requiring the intervention of the present army chief.
It is to be noted that the Gen Singh had shown his displeasure at Lt Gen Suhag by forwarding a letter from a Trinamool Congress member of Parliament to the government about alleged financial irregularities in the running of the Special Frontier Force. Â
That complaint was negated by the government. So another front was opened. On that fateful night of December, an intelligence unit of 3 Corps raided the house of Assam resident who was a contractor working under the military engineering service. He was an alleged financier of the ULFA. The raid went awry when the army unit allegedly robbed his house off expensive artefacts and money. The victim went and reported to the Assam Police who launched a criminal process against the army. And the situation came to a head. Â
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