The rotten ketchup
Update(04/04)– IANS reports that [via ThaIndian.com]:
The defence ministry has rejected a reinstatement plea filed by a former Indian Army colonel who was dismissed from service for faking terrorists’ killings by photographing the “victims” with tomato ketchup splashed on them. Col. H.S. Kohli, who had earned the sobriquet “ketchup colonel”, had filed the petition a year ago.
According to a reliable source, the army had recommended Kohli’s reinstatement after a severe reprimand, taking the view that he had acted at the behest of his superiors – but the ministry has rejected this.
“It is a fact that the army recommended the remission of the sentence of dismissal awarded by General Court Martial to five years’ loss of seniority for promotion, five years’ loss of seniority for purpose of pension and to be severely reprimanded,” the source said.
“This would have entailed reinstatement of the ex-officer into military service. However, the MoD (ministry of defence) has rejected this,” the source added.[IANS]
***
The story of the infamous ‘Ketchup Colonel’ is back making news. The Army headquarters has recommended to the Defence ministry that the disgraced Colonel, who faked the killings of terrorists in Assam by pouring tomato ketchup over civilians, be reinstated. This is being done as his seniors, who ordered the ignominious playacting in their quest for gallantry awards, better appraisal reports and greater chances for promotions, are not to be prosecuted.
A CNN-IBN investigation had shown how the man was following orders that came straight from his immediate seniors Major General Ravinder Singh, the then GOC and Brigadier S Rao.
Letters and taped evidence all pointed to the complicity from the top, but no action was taken against the General who pushed for kills
In a letter being circulated within the Ministry of Defence, there is a clear admission of the involvement of the General and how he could be held guilty of serious misconduct.
The Ministry calls the Army’s decision not to take action against him a convenient one. A decision that may not be legally tenable if anyone decides to go to court.
The Ministry is also acutely aware that the sensitive case could set a precedent for other fake encounter cases the force has been grappling with
The Army does not want to spread the blame game so it made the following recommendations to the Ministry of Defence:
- Col Kohli be reinstated with a five-year loss of service and a severe reprimand.
- Mainly because he defied the illegal order to kill the detainees in his custody, though could not resist the suggestion to show them as kills in fake encounters
- Col Kohli’s immediate senior Brig Rao who gave the order is already back in service.
- So in the interest of equity and justice the Colonel cannot be given a punishment higher than that.
A final decision by the Ministry of Defence is expected in the next few days and the big focus will be on Col Kohli and whether he will take the blame for an entire chain of commanders who were willing to push for kills in the rush for gallantry awards.[CNN-IBN]
So much for the cause of justice; forget adherence to military values or image of an uncompromising leadership. The pay commissions can come and go. The chain emails, blogposts, comments and messages from retired and serving military officers can lament the loss of “perceived” status, “poor” compensation, victimisation by the neta-babu nexus and apathy of an ungrateful nation.
How many chain emails and comments are going around to castigate the message sent across to the rank and file by such “convenient” decisions of the Army top brass? Or is the vocal military community condoning these “occasional infidelities” by the services headquarters, as long as they can push the pay commission and the government to put enough silver in each officer’s pocket. Transparency and accountability from the top brass, if not provided on its own, has to be demanded by the concerned rank and file to redeem this situation.
Else, it is “Follow me”, Indian army style. I wonder what that old soldier Sam Manekshaw would have done in a similar situation. [Read this post on how he confronted Indira's cabinet in 1971.] He turned 95 today. Happy Birthday, Sam Bahadur!
Sauce – innovative. Support such harmless initiatives. What if Colman’s had been used instead of mustard gas in WW I ?
Shame on such gallantry-award-hungry people.They should be hanged.No other punishment can do the justice.
Shame on those officers who follow their senior’s orders blindly like this,violating all human rights.I believe that If some officer really wants not to obey such kind of orders,nobody can force them to do so.
[1] The guy deserves a medal for:
(a) Ideas and Innovations.
(b) Optimal use of the Condiment Allowance.
[2] Nowhere has it been reported that he didn’t want to kill the enemy; perhaps there just were not enough genuine targets left.
[3] A thought now niggles: Why do we have War Memorials listing own soldiers killed in action at all ? The deaths of our soldiers are an enemy success. Reverse options ..
(a) Persian Nadir Shah system (as in Delhi, 22 March 1739) of a stack of enemy citizen skulls to demo own effectiveness.
(b) Naga Head hunting trophies.
(c) Red Indian scalp collections.
(d) The Kohli_Heinz method.
Dear Pragmatic
1 There are many seniors who encourage juniors to do wrong things, ensure they are a tool for their selfish ends.
2 Once they get caught, they try again to leave the boat when it is sinking. Only the culprit who gets caught is sorted out.
3 The ketch up Colonel case is just an example. It is just not possible anymore that a fraud will take place unless it has the connivance of a senior. How many seniors are prosecuted. They are the real criminals who are breeding like minded insects but also leaving them in lurch when heat is on.
4 Many examples are there……………… but the services top brass needs to cut out liaison with these seniors who managed old school boy net work to some how escape by requesting the convening auth not to get them involved in any C of I. The GOC IN THIS CASE SURELY GOT AWAY BECAUSE HE KNEW SOME TOP BRASS. It is that top brass who also needs to be asked questioned why he saved the GOC.
4 The bottom line it is not the the Col only but the Cdr/GOC and the Top brass who saved many issues and trying to help them are all at fault. The system is rotten.
SUch incidents do happen in every department and one must realise that the organisation comprises of all sorts of individuals. The Indain Army is still the finest Army in the world and lets not write it off just because of a handfull of rotten eggs. Value systems have undergone a change in the entire society, ye we expect our armed forces perssonnel to conduct themselves in the era of our forefathers. Please wake up and leave the Armed Forces alone.
@Shankar:
The post is not about the incident, however reprehensible or deplorable that may be. It is about the institutionalised reaction of the Army headquarters to the incident.
That’s why the Armed forces do not deserve to be left alone in this country but ought to be placed under the strongest scrutiny.
@ Pragmatic
While I am not supporting the action of Army, still I feel Shankar has a point.
This has more to do with the ‘Indian’ culture rather than ‘Military’ culture. Being well connected is a status symbol in this country. Jessica lall, BMW hit & run case, etc, etc all point to the fact that ’show me the man and I will show you the rule’ applies to all sections of the society.
Strong scrutiny is indeed required to keep the spirit of ‘freedom to equality’ alive.
one small suggestion.
lets all know , have access to the citations for all the decorations of the three chiefs and the next tier generals/ air mshls / admrls.
we may end up with a good work of fiction !!!
@ Pragmatic
I agree with Jamwal in the sense that the army is only a representative element of the general populace (‘No man is an island’ etc etc). Therefore If corruption is on the rise in the army, it is symptomatic of a corresponding rise in the outside world. For proof we need not look further than our very own parliament. The gandhian principles of yore have been long replaced by survival of the dirtiest. Our illustrious representatives are charged with everything from booth capturing to murder, but continue to sit pretty on their ’safe’ seats. Not even one percent of the known criminals are convicted. So how do we blame the army?
Call me romantic, but I still believe that the services remain the last bastions of integrity and character. It takes character to risk ones life for your comrade in arms and for the nation. Let not the entire service be judged by the reprehensible acts of a misguided few.
@aarvee/jamwal/shanker
Let’s call a spade a spade.No doubt,Indian army is one amongst the finest of all the armies in the world and it still has got integrity and character,but that is not enough.I would second Pragmatic in this particular issue.
Why to give explanations like,see what is happening in the outside world etc etc?Let the whole of the world do what they want,but can army as an organization whose base is patriotism and the whole aim is the safety of it’s country’s people can afford doing this?Will the people of this country in anyway feel safe this way?
When for one Vikram Batra and for one Saurabh Kalia the whole army takes the credit,then YES,for incidents like this the whole of army has to take the shit also.That’s the only way this kind of incidents will be taken seriously and the culprits would be punished hard.So hard that it will make every fauji realise that,holding a gun does not make him all that powerful,rather what makes him a hero is the respect in the hearts of his country’s people for him.
[...] past, the Indian media has had a field day covering the shenanigans of Booze Brigadiers and Ketchup Colonels (incidentally he was reinstated by the Army some time back) in gory detail. These kerfuffles, from [...]