Ex- Servicemen Tsunami of Discontent

Down gradation of Military in the Sixth Pay Commission Recommendations (SPCR), forced the three Services Chiefs to collectively protest to the Defence Minister. Then, came unprecedented Pan India silent protest by black band wearing, bemedalled military veterans. As damage control measure, Government announced a ‘Review Committee’, composed of the IAS officers only, without any military representation, which further infuriated the veterans as they suspect the IAS of gross parochialism at military’s cost. The SPCR has driven the final nail in the coffin of Soldiers’ aspirations for reasonable emoluments commensurate with their dangerous and harshest possible service conditions. As per the media reports, the servicemen too are seething with suppressed anger. Keeping army young is a ‘National Requirement’ and thus about 94% soldiers are compulsarily retired in their mid 30s and early 40s without any rehabilitation. The recommendation about their ‘Lateral Induction’ in to Para- Military Forces, (PMF), will never materialize since there is lot of money (allegedly) involved in fresh recruitment into the PMF and initial training at their institutes, which have enormous annual turn over. Taking trained soldiers from the army in to the PMF will deprive the ‘Vested Interest’ of these gold mine of mafia activities.

Some extremely dangerous trends are clearly discernible. Due to sustained neglect “Quality of Life” has become dismal. Few want to join military and there is an enormous deficiency of about 15,0000 officers. Thousands more want to quit. Earlier only Persons Below Officer Rank (PBOR) used to desert, now in last few years dozen of officers have ‘deserted’. Ominously, officers training institutes like the NDA, OTA, and IMA are grossly under subscribed. All attempts to improve “Living Conditions” are met with a standard excuse of “Resources Crunch” while no such “Crunch” affects civilian employees who in fact are a “Pampered Lot”. Due to poor living conditions, lower economic and social status, military personnel, have lost a ‘Sense of Pride” and while interacting with civilians and prefer not to be identified as such . Sense of Self Worth, which is most powerful motivator for a warrior, is almost missing in middle level officers and PBOR, who are the ‘Cutting Edge’. Due to lack of resources, despite their best efforts, officers cannot improve the lot of their command. A despondent attitude of “Chalta Hai” (“Let it carry on as dismally”) may become all pervasive. Well meaning officers are helpless, others are constrained to take the line of least resistance.

Ill- treatment of the Indian Soldiers by the bureaucracy is a sad fact. Since they cannot bribe their way through the bureaucracy, they are treated like dirt every time they go to civil offices to pursue their most pressing problems. Military officers are rendered totally powerless in looking after their Soldiers’ welfare as their pleas fall on deaf bureaucratic ears eliciting no response. This forces many soldiers to commit suicide out of sheer hopelessness when their most inescapable domestic problems are not resolved by callous bureaucrats. Strangely, rich NRI’s property in many states is protected but not that of poor Soldiers. Enormous lowering of military’s status has resulted in their lack of ‘IZZAT’ (honour), which in fact, is a ‘Soldier’s religion’. Even the services Chiefs are not spared by mindless politicians. Also army is being grossly misused, at proverbial drop of a hat.

Fratricides, suicides, (amounting to loss of over 100 lives annually), etc, are grim indicators. India appears to be sitting on “Volcano of Military Discontent”. First time, in the parliament , words (possible) ‘Revolt by Army’ were used. Government, by now, if it has any intelligence (in both senses of the word), should have known about Collective ‘Sense of Hurt’ (inflicted by the SPCR), which may result in ‘Collective Alienation’ of the military from it. It may unleash a “Silent Tsunami” in their relationship, based as it is on distrust of military. Military ‘Top Brass’ inability to ensure a ‘Fair Deal’ to their subordinates, while they themselves are reasonably ‘rewarded’, will erode their ‘Credibility’ and ‘Standing’, leading to Collective Bickering and Heart Burning at junior levels. If the maladies like loss of pride and willful neglect by the state are not rectified, a ‘latent anger’ may engulf entire military leadership proving our worst fears. Material well being and concrete actions to ensure “IZZAT-O-INSAAF” (Honour and Justice) to the military are inescapable. Cosmetics will not do, a visibly ‘Caring State’ is a must, other wise ‘alienation’ may take any ugly shape. This scenario is too dangerous to contemplate and can be ignored only at Government's own peril.

However, the situation can still be redeemed. Since all our institutions are based on centuries of tradition and valour, our Military’s “Precedence”, Pay and all other allied aspects should be commensurate with corrupt- free- bureaucracy. Military’s courteous conduct usually gets misconstrued as ‘Servility’. While they must continue to be true gentlemen at heart, yet, they may have to change their out ward stance. They need to be “Assertive” and “Demand” rather than “Submit”. They may have to shed their obsession with ‘Courtesy’ and invoke the “Principle of Reciprocity ” while dealing with bureaucracy. Finally, least the Services Chiefs can do is to declare that they are NOT available for any post retirement assignment, like late General BC Joshi, the then Army Chief, had done.

Brig Harwant Singh (Retd)
Vice President
Indian Ex- Services League (Punjab & Chandigarh)