Army Chief General Bikram Singh, who took
over as the 25th Chief of Army Staff in the backdrop of insinuations
rife about him going slow against the rot within the force, made it amply clear
that no corruption cases will be hushed up during his tenure.
In his public statements coming after nearly a month of
taking over the reins of the 1.13 million-strong Indian Army, the General said
that even though during his tenure officers will not be kept under extreme
scrutiny, any case of corruption will be dealt with a strong hand.
“I assure the nation through you that no corrupt element
will be tolerated in the system and guilty will be brought to the book. We will
proceed against such elements according to rule book and the cases will be
taken to the logical end,” General Bikram Singh said during an informal
interaction with media persons.
In his month-long tenure alone quite a few high-ranking officers
have been under the scanner for corruption related cases. Investigations were presently
on against one Lieutenant General, one Major General, two Brigadiers and two
Colonels. Along with this, the Commandant of the prestigious National Defence
Academy (NDA) was also shunted out after his Staff Officer – a Colonel rank
officer was arrested in the cash for job scam.
After taking a month’s time to take stock of the affairs of
the Indian Army, in the wake of a slew of controversies involving the force, the
General has outlined his vision for the remaining next 23 months of his tenure.
General Singh has given strict instructions to all the men in uniform to adhere
to the ethos of the Olive Green as the flouters will not be spared due to the
fear of embarrassment.
With the previous chief General (retired) VK Singh focusing more
on “transformation” of the force, the incumbent has made it clear that the
focus will be on “modernization” and “transformation” will be a sub-set of it. “Modernisation
is a broader topic. We have taken stock of the ‘hollowness’ in the military
preparedness and we are working towards resolving it,” General Singh added.
General Singh has the challenge of plugging the gaping holes
in the military preparation of the Army – the army aviation, artillery and
ammunition – are all in the dire need of modernization. Under his leadership
the Army has got a sympathetic view of its demand for a ‘mini air force’
operating combat helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, despite a vocal
opposition from the Indian Air Force (IAF). Following the final approval, the
force will be inducting its first squadron of attack helicopters.
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