Another Blot on Indian Army

[amit21mech]

Afetr Samba Spy Scandal Indian Army is again going to face that kind of humiliation if the ACOI(Army Court of Inquiry) confirm their Siachen Scandal. An Indian Army's infantry unit i.e. 5/5 Gurkha Rifles has reported to have done fake encounters and "enemy kills" to get medals and other gallantry awards. They did a very very serious crime. Commadning officer of the unit Col K D Singh is the main culprit. A young officer Maj. Surinder Singh of this battalion spilled the beans.
The alleged fraud was carried out between July and Nov 15, 2003. Maj Singh has claimed that he and several fellow offrs faked the killings under orders from CO who allegedly told him that he should show "imagination and initiative" in carrying out the acts. On July 29, a lieutenant of his company reported a kill in the Chandan Complex of Siachen. But there was not report of enemy movement in the area between July 7 and 28.
On 8 Aug, the same officer shot a fake video of an enemy kill. Rifleman Shyam Lal Thapa of the company posed as "dead enemy". Similarly on 24 Aug three enemy kills were captured on video, CO rang up him to congratulate him the next day and asked him to ensure a hazy video.
In order to make enemy activity realistic it was decided to first construct an "enemy air defence bunker" and then destroy it on 21 Sep by rocket and mortar fire. Note that this "enemy bunker" was in Indian territory. Here the beans are spilled. Major Singh got injured in mortar fire and was evacutaed and a case of "Vir Chakra/Sena Medal"(Indias third and fourth highest gallantry awards) for him was moved. Not to say this destruction of"enemy bunker" was also tape recorded. Several other incidents also occured of same kind between this period.
After some differences with CO Maj Singh described the fraud to top commanders including COAS Gen N C Vij and Maj Gen R.P.S Rahallan GOC, 3 Infantry Divison. Subsequently a ACOI ordered.

Investigations are going on but remember there is no smoke without a fire.
This is very shameful in regard the recently the respective Corps Commander Lt. Gen Arvind Sharma had actually made a presentation on the Siachen "enemy Kills" at Defence service Staff College in Wellington.
This is very shameful for the Indian Army. Just to get some citations and Gallantry awards these individuals are bringing bad name to the nation and her Armed Forces.

Link : http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_737626,0008.htm

 

[adsH]

Afetr Samba Spy Scandal Indian Army is again going to face that kind of humiliation if the ACOI(Army Court of Inquiry) confirm their Siachen Scandal. An Indian Army's infantry unit i.e. 5/5 Gurkha Rifles has reported to have done fake encounters and "enemy kills" to get medals and other gallantry awards. They did a very very serious crime. Commadning officer of the unit Col K D Singh is the main culprit. A young officer Maj. Surinder Singh of this battalion spilled the beans.
The alleged fraud was carried out between July and Nov 15, 2003. Maj Singh has claimed that he and several fellow offrs faked the killings under orders from CO who allegedly told him that he should show "imagination and initiative" in carrying out the acts. On July 29, a lieutenant of his company reported a kill in the Chandan Complex of Siachen. But there was not report of enemy movement in the area between July 7 and 28.
On 8 Aug, the same officer shot a fake video of an enemy kill. Rifleman Shyam Lal Thapa of the company posed as "dead enemy". Similarly on 24 Aug three enemy kills were captured on video, CO rang up him to congratulate him the next day and asked him to ensure a hazy video.
In order to make enemy activity realistic it was decided to first construct an "enemy air defence bunker" and then destroy it on 21 Sep by rocket and mortar fire. Note that this "enemy bunker" was in Indian territory. Here the beans are spilled. Major Singh got injured in mortar fire and was evacutaed and a case of "Vir Chakra/Sena Medal"(Indias third and fourth highest gallantry awards) for him was moved. Not to say this destruction of"enemy bunker" was also tape recorded. Several other incidents also occured of same kind between this period.
After some differences with CO Maj Singh described the fraud to top commanders including COAS Gen N C Vij and Maj Gen R.P.S Rahallan GOC, 3 Infantry Divison. Subsequently a ACOI ordered.

Investigations are going on but remember there is no smoke without a fire.
This is very shameful in regard the recently the respective Corps Commander Lt. Gen Arvind Sharma had actually made a presentation on the Siachen "enemy Kills" at Defence service Staff College in Wellington.
This is very shameful for the Indian Army. Just to get some citations and Gallantry awards these individuals are bringing bad name to the nation and her Armed Forces.

Link : http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_737626,0008.htm

Amit Personally i don't blame them they are sitting up in one of the highest altitude Bases in the world where Pakistan Army doesn't even wan't to send there troops thats the reason why INdia took over that glacier i do feel sorry for those Young Soldiers who spend a small but important portion of there service up there.

I think that region should be declared neutral zone since there is so much fuss about it!!

 

[amit21mech]

No ADSH....this not the point here....did not you know the pros and cons of your profession before your choose it. All armies around the world clearly state the threat perceptions her soldiers would be facing while duty. If u r posted on such great height in a war zone than it does not mean you end up in doing such frauds. These individuals should be hanged as they have brought bad name to the whole nation. Just imagine ur reaction if some day u hear Pak Army practicing such things. Indian govt pays Rs 2500 per day to the soldiers posted there as special allowance along with other attractive perks. In addition they get special points in there respective ACRs along with lots of respect. But some persons like this Col has bigger stomach than others.

 

[amit21mech]

Lies, fake kills & tampered tape
Kanwar Sandhu
Leh/Chandigarh, May 7

During hearings at the court of inquiry (COI), at which Maj Singh also gave details about fake kills by units other than his own, the so-called “enemy hits” in Siachen came under severe scrutiny.

One issue was the distance from which the video recordings of the “kills” were made. It was pointed out that the videos had been tampered with, and that the “enemy troops” seen on tape had not been, contrary to standard practice, “roped in”.

Questions were also raised on the effective ranges of precision weapons — some of the “enemy kills” appeared to have been made at 1,500 metres, by jawans not trained to use sniper rifles.

Facing the COI, Maj Singh’s commanding officer (CO) Col KD Singh vehemently denied all the charges of fake killings except those pertaining directly to Maj. Singh. He claimed that that the only fake “kills” were those that were made by the Major himself on two occasions, and that the officer had been warned about them.

Col Singh described Maj. Singh as having a diabolical frame of mind. He said that he (Col Singh) had instructed officers to give “correct, timely and unexaggerated reports”. The veracity of videos of the “kills” was proved by the “excitement and zeal” in the background voices, he argued.

However, the credibility of the CO’s deposition was called into doubt in the light of statements made by some officers to the COI, and by Col Singh’s exchange of communication with senior officers.

The Brigade Commander, Brig HPS Bedi, who had assumed command in September 2003, in a letter to Col Singh, pointed out certain “infirmities and untruths” in his communication to him. Brig Bedi alleged that Col Singh had been “concealing grave irregularities in operational matters”. He also cautioned the CO in writing not to “indulge in the misquoting of facts and (to) refrain from misleading and misinforming his senior commanders”, including the colonel of the Gorkha Regiment, Lt Gen Richard Khare.

Facing the COI, Brig Bedi described as “false” the version of Col KD Singh on when exactly he had learnt about fake kills by his battalion officers.

Another staff officer of the brigade described as “entirely false” the statement of the CO that a particular photograph of an enemy “kill” was not sent by the battalion but had been “made” by the Brigade Headquarters.

In the course of the inquiry, it also emerged that in order to keep the matter under wraps, the battalion tried to send two jawans — who were prime witnesses to the destruction of a false “enemy bunker” — on ‘discharge’. Similarly, Col Singh tried to have the whistleblower, Maj Singh, posted out to Assam Rifles.

An officer told the Hindustan Times that the genuineness of enemy “kills” was also called into question by the deposition of a General Staff Officer (Intelligence) of the Brigade HQ before the court of inquiry.

The officer pointed out that “enemy movement” had been more in the Central Glacier than in the other sub-sectors before the November 2003 ceasefire with Pakistan.

However, after the cease-fire came into effect, it decreased considerably in the Central Glacier and increased in the Southern, Northern Glacier areas, and also Sub Sector West.

“It is obvious that since firing had to cease after the cease-fire, so did the “kills” that were claimed,” he explained.

It is amazing how the Army failed to smell a rat about the abnormally high numbers of enemy “kills” in Siachen, sources said. Nobody seems to have found it strange that except on a handful of occasions, there was no retaliatory fire from the “enemy” when the “kill” was made.

Said an Intelligence officer in Leh: “In the last week of August when there was a genuine enemy kill, Pakistan kept firing at and shelling us for nearly 24 hours.”

5/5 Gorkha Rifles has since moved on to elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been replaced by a battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in the routine six-monthly turn-over of units on the Siachen glacier. The battalions before 5/5 Gorkha Rifles on the glacier — the 21 Grenadiers and 1/5 Gorkha Rifles — which had reported only about 12 killings each during their tenures — were given unit citations by the Army Chief.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_737730,0008.htm

 

[adsH]

No ADSH....this not the point here....did not you know the pros and cons of your profession before your choose it. All armies around the world clearly state the threat perceptions her soldiers would be facing while duty. If u r posted on such great height in a war zone than it does not mean you end up in doing such frauds. These individuals should be hanged as they have brought bad name to the whole nation. Just imagine ur reaction if some day u hear Pak Army practicing such things. Indian govt pays Rs 2500 per day to the soldiers posted there as special allowance along with other attractive perks. In addition they get special points in there respective ACRs along with lots of respect. But some persons like this Col has bigger stomach than others.

Thats true Amit but all i said was that Some added point might have not been enough for them i think they should be given some consideration probably Jail term but I can never agree to punishment by Hanging i am a strong believer in no lethal form of justice by Retribution!! it is pointless i would rather let the criminal Rott in a solitary confinement for the rest of his life Freedom is a blessing Life is precious. Two Wrongs don't make a Rite

 

[amit21mech]

ya u r right...by hanging them does not mean to give the death penality. Actually here in India we use this"Hang him" term for rigrous punishment. Even acording to the Indian law this crime is not fit for death penality. This just a fraud and forgery. But just to give them punishment is not the solution. This means now Army have find out how many more Col Singhs are there. Eliminate them immediately. After all this effects the moral of the troops.

 

[adsH]

ya u r right...by hanging them does not mean to give the death penality. Actually here in India we use this"Hang him" term for rigrous punishment. Even acording to the Indian law this crime is not fit for death penality. This just a fraud and forgery. But just to give them punishment is not the solution. This means now Army have find out how many more Col Singhs are there. Eliminate them immediately. After all this effects the moral of the troops.

Very important well the ARmy is quiet lucky that this happened when there is peace !! they can conduct interrogation of suspects!! but a Miilion men investigation would take a considerable time and resources!!

 

[amit21mech]

ya u r right...by hanging them does not mean to give the death penality. Actually here in India we use this"Hang him" term for rigrous punishment. Even acording to the Indian law this crime is not fit for death penality. This just a fraud and forgery. But just to give them punishment is not the solution. This means now Army have find out how many more Col Singhs are there. Eliminate them immediately. After all this effects the moral of the troops.

Very important well the ARmy is quiet lucky that this happened when there is peace !! they can conduct interrogation of suspects!! but a Miilion men investigation would take a considerable time and resources!!

No Adsh....I am very ashamed to admit that this not always happen during peace time. Now a media report is saying that a battalion commander posted in Drass did not report the inrusion by enemy in Kargil in 1999 just becasue his tenure was to end in two months and he wanted to proceed for Higher command course.
Actulay Indian Army measures the success of any battalion by the number of kills and cache. This builds tremendous pressure on battalions to prove that they are best and in that too in the sscenario when many battlions are fighting insurgency all over J&K and N-E. And this pressure is directly proportional to the hirearchy. Higher the rank more is the prssure because of less time in hand(small tenure). Lower rank peoples like JCOs and ORs can easily be lured in to this business by giving them promotion chances, gallantry awards and even money. Money and fame are still major factors in lower middle class of Indian society from which major chunk of JCOs and ORs originate. So Top brass gets "man power" very easily to do this dirty work for them. This prcatice is happening routinely and all over.

To prove the kill or cache Army units has to prduce the dead bodies, apprehended militants and cache before higher authorties. But in remote areas like Siachen, Handwara, Pir-Panjal ranges where mobility is very restricted army battalion bury the bodies on the spot and kill is claimed. Now army is accepting that about 40-50 % claims of total no Killed could be fake. I strongly belive that this prcatice must be having a very negative effects on the moral of Indian Army. Every battalion trying to kill maximum, apprehend maximum every body wants to come with highest figures. If this would have be happening for the glory of the respective regiment than we could have ignored this as Army's internal matter but every body is aghast to see that all this is happening just because of some high ranking INDIVIDUALS.
This incident also points towards the various irregularties being ignored and carried out by Army. They are breaking the rules set by themselves. Like no bunker can be build near border or LoC without the knowledge or permission of Corps Commander. And here they have built a "enemy" air defence bunker well inside the Indian territory on 21 Sep and then they even managed to destroy that. Photography and Video taping is prohibited by the orders from 14 Corps HQ issued in June 2003. 5/5 Gorkha Regiment not only shot that all the kills on video their Corps Commander Lt Gen Arvind Sharma showed those videos in a presentation at Defence Staff College, Wellington. There are many missing links in this incident and this looks as tip of an iceberg. Even the inquiry of this matter was done on a very routine basis. No effort was made to make the investigations free of bias as both the presiding officer and the Corps Commander were from Gorkha Regiment.
I strongly belive that there are small number of rotten apples or dead fishes in Indian Army. These can be individuals or the individuals acting according to the system. Many tables have to be turned, many new rules should be laid to get the pressure off from backs of troops fighting insurgency and wars. A new scale of measurement besides no of kills and cache needs to be made to avoid such incidents. After 1971 if you see number of high ranking officers getting PVSM and VSM has increased manyfolds. Now they want more and different from others. This creates pressure which takes it toll to right down the bottom. Every authority wants better result and the subordinates pass this to their juniors. And at the end Jawans are doing the dirty job to get a promotion or to make some money. In many cases Jawans could not even know what they doing and for whose benifit. Like here in this case Rifleman Shyam Lal Thapa could have been told to pose as dead enemy as they are shooting for an ad for "Indian Army". This problem as many others is the result of our system which needs to reviewed. I hope God will grant wisdom to Indian Army other wise all of us know what a rotten apple or dead fish can do to others.

 

[mysterious]

Indian Army awards under scrutiny

Indian Army awards under scrutiny

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: Following the Indian Army’s admission that it faked the killings of “enemy personnel†in Siachen last year, the scandal has put all military awards earned by the soldiers and the units during the Kashmir operations and the wars against Pakistan here under scrutiny.

Though the Defence Ministry officially claimed that the award system was “foolproofâ€, the sources within the army said that inflating the numbers of killings was a common practice to seek gallantry awards and unit citations. The malice, they say, is not limited to Siachen alone, but has spread everywhere from Jammu and Kashmir to northeastern states where the army is active in quelling “militancyâ€.

Trying to scotch insinuation on the gallantry award system, the Defence Ministry in a statement on Saturday said there was no question of anyone receiving awards and citations on false claims. “The system of awards and citations is absolutely foolproof and above-board and there is no question of anyone receiving awards and citations on false claims, and in this case, as soon as the complaint was received, appropriate action was immediately taken,†the ministry statement said.

Army officials said the award system was largely responsible for exaggerating the claims of killings. The government measures success in terms of killings, captures and seizures of weapons. They believed that claims of killing “infiltrators†along the Line of Control could be inflated by about 40-60 percent.

Earlier, the army announced that administrative action had been ordered against a colonel and a major and disciplinary action taken against another major for faking the killing of Pakistani soldiers in Siachen last year to claim awards and citations for imagined gallantry. Media reports here claimed that the Leh-based 14 Corps Headquarters was investigating a massive fraud in which at least a third of 50 claimed killings on the glacier were fakes.

Defence analysts here are perturbed that the army had also initiated action against Major Surinder Singh of the Gorkha Rifles, who had actually blown the whistle. “They are trying to confine the blame to the whistleblower,†they said. Major Singh had recently secured a stay from a court on a move by the army to re-assign him to a different unit as punishment. The army has announced only the administrative action against the “real culprits†named by Colonel KD Singh and Major Rohit Lama, named by Major Singh for fabricating killings.

Maj Singh told the court of inquiry (COI) that several fellow officers faked the killings under orders from Col Singh, who allegedly told him (the major) that he should show “imagination and initiative†in carrying out the acts.

Excerpts from what Maj Singh told the COI: On July 29, a lieutenant of his company reported a “kill†in the Chandan complex. But there had been no enemy movement in the area between July 7 and 28.

On August 8, the same officer shot a fake video of an enemy “killâ€. Rifleman Shyam Lal Thapa of the unit posed as the “dead enemyâ€.

On August 24, three enemy “kills†were captured on video. Col Singh rang up to congratulate him the next day, and asked him to ensure a “hazy videoâ€.

In order to make “enemy activity†realistic, it was decided to first construct an “enemy air defence bunkerâ€, and then destroy it. On September 21, the bunker “in India’s territory†was destroyed by Indian rockets and mortar. A splinter hit Maj Singh, who was evacuated, and a case for gallantry awards Vir Chakra and Sena Medal was moved. The destruction of the “enemy bunker†was recorded on tape.

To top the scandal, just a few months ago, Corps Commander Lt-Gen Arvind Sharma had actually shown this fake video at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington projecting the Indian Army’s success in high altitude battlefields.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-5-2004_pg7_46

How 'low' can these guys get?? Now, after reading all this, even if I wasn't a Pakistani, I'd be more likely to believe reports coming from the Pakistani side regarding J-Kashmir rather than the ones coming out from the Indian side. Its left to one's imagination how many fake shoot-outs have been carried out and dead militants claimed which provided an excuse to blame Pakistan. All the videos and pictures that they show from time to time with dead bodies of so-called 'militants' with Pakistani currency as well as passports in their pockets are totally 'fake'!!!! Do you seriously think that if these 'militants' were from Pakistan and sponsored by ISI or whatever, they'd really be carrying any documents or items that would relate them to Pakistan? I mean, how theatiristic can you get? Is Hollywood and Bollywood having too much influence over the Indian Army's facets? As the article says that militant raids and infiltration as well as their killings were exaggerated by 40-60% !!! One can think oneself, as to how much infiltration there really is and how much is claimed by the Indian Army. Tsk Tsk Tsk (Take a look at this new Bollywood movie that I accidentally saw "Main Hoon Na" (a typical Indian nationalism rhetoric in disguise) and in it, there's a reference to how innocent villagers straying across the border without knowing when they have crossed the LOC are killed by the Indian Army and then portrayed as militants or spies)!!! Its about time sense and sensibility prevailed and people as well as states started behaving responsibly. :cop