Hut of Remembrance The sublime memorial hut enshrines the sacrifices of all those who laid down their lives for their motherland.From: Satish Kumar Bahri
Subject: Fw: CPC fall out
To: "Manmohan Singh" manmohan@sansad.nic.in
Date: Wednesday, 17 December, 2008, 4:15 PM
Dear Prime Minister,
I take the liberty of writing to you as it seems the Government is totally unconcerned about the complaints of the Armed Forces regarding the 6th Pay Commission award. You are the head of a strong and prosperous country which has been possible to a large extent, by the initiative taken by you to open up the economy as its finance minister in 1991. Hopefully, the blood shed by the soldiers of this country has played a small part in ensuring that the country could prosper without interference.
Mr Prime Minister, I was in Kharakvasla (wonder if many bureaucrats know about this place) to attend the Diamond Jubilee of a great institution called National Defence Academy. 27 of my Course mates of the First Course were there to bask in the radiance of this Academy. We all paid our respects at the Hut of Remembrance where all the names of cadets who have passed out of the portals of the Academy, and have laid down their lives fighting the Country's external enemies and against insurgents to protect your and our country. Only difference being that we paid for it in blood while the bureaucrats and the police officers were pushing files. If you happen to make a pilgrimage to this place you will find 261 names, including Maj Unnikrishnan's, inscribed in the hallowed Hut.
Mr PM, in addition to these 261 officers there are many others who have laid down their lives, who havent passed out of the NDA ie., Direct Entry, Temporary Commission, Short Service Commission officers in all three services. The civil servants must also remember that a serviceman once having enlisted loses a number of civil liberties, while still remaining civil! He is proceeded against speedily in case of an offence, while a civil servant first of all can use IOUs given by people in position for services rendered by him earlier. In case the prosecuting agency is persistent his friends in the service will not give permission to prosecute him for years so that he can obliterate all evidence in the meantime. Surely servicemen civil servants are as different as Chalk & Cheese and so need to be treated differently.
What irks a soldier are the lies being trotted out like the one quoted click here by Maj Navdeep Singh of the Territorial Army, and a lawyer to boot, to benefit one set of officers at the cost of another. I am personally aware that the two DIGs who attended the NDC course in 1981 with me, had themselves entered their pay as Rs 2150.00 pm ie., Rs 50 less than a Colonel in the College records. Yes they were masquerading by wearing the badges of ranks of a Brigadier. Does an imposter become a rightful owner of a status and pay just because he has been permitted to wear the badges, not entitled to him, for 25 years?
I was also at India Gate on 16 Dec 08 with a lot of retired officers, JCOs and OR to express our anguish to the only God we know, the Unknown Soldier, at the unsympathetic and unreasonable attitude of the Govt headed by you. Mr PM a serviceman is not used to grovelling and he will not. But the anger at the gathering was palpable. I happen to be the same age as you, but have longer experience of dealing with soldiers. I would advise you call the three Chiefs and seek their advice, along with that of ex-servicemen, as to how to defuse the situation.
Please read my above letter and not leave it to a bureaucrat to put up a note to you. You will never get the true picture, in this case at least.
With warm regards and a lot of hope.
Yours sincerely,
Lt Gen SK Bahri (Retd)
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