HENDERSON BROOKS REPORT:NOTHING NEW EXPOSED !

(Bharatratna Chakravarti Rajagopalachari)

(The Iron Man)

                                                              (THE DEADLY COMBO)

(Gen PN Thapar the then COAS)

(Lt Gen BM Kaul who never had a Corps !)

(Monty Palit-the then DGMO)

(Major Shaitan Singh,PVC-the Immortal Mortal)

( Lt Gen BM Kaul & Brig JP Dalvi) 

"First thing ,in the sixties , that I did on joining my unit near Se La ,was to visit Dhola Sector.As I stood facing the small rivulet Namka Chu ,I paid obeisance to the gallant men of John Dalvi’s brigade who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Nation.I explained to my patrol the great deeds of our valiant soldiers who had fought with all odds against them.Looking up at the dominating heights & the Dhola Massif,I realised that tactically, it was suicidal to have deployed near the Bridges.I also knew that the Brigade Commander & the COs had no choice.I asked the patrol to prepare tea.As I sat on a big boulder next to the rivulet, my thoughts ,in a flash back, reminded me of 28 Nov 1962 when I had the most unpleasant task of handing over a telegram to Mrs BK Pant stating that her husband was missing in action. Maj Pant was a true epitome of a scholar soldier.

A MA LLB & Sahitya Ratna ! It is sad that he was Mentioned in Dispatches only.He should have been awarded nothing less than a PVC.His acts of bravery are folk lore today.An extremely pleasant person & helpful to all,he was very handsome & icon of the community.It was he who motivated me to join the Army. We prayed to our Presiding Deity Lord Badri Vishal Lal to grant eternal peace to the departed souls of all our comrades- in -arms who had given their today for our tomorrow.After tea, my Patrol 2IC- a dye hard JCO asked me that the entire patrol should present arms to our valiant soldiers of 7 Inf Bde. As we did it, suddenly snow flakes started descending on mother earth as if paying the nature’s salute to the departed souls."

Apropos the debate on so called Maxwell's leak of Henderson Brooks Report on electronic media last night,wherein, a lot of hullabaloo was made by the Anchor & various opinions given by the panel,there was NOTHING new that had emerged except for some sensationalism !To that extent,the subject debate was a total disappointment.What amazed me was the timing of such a discussion!Some connected issues are being highlighted in succeeding paragraphs.

I quote Brigadier J P Dalvi " 1962 was a national failure of which every Indian is guilty.. It was a failure in higher direction of war,a failure of the opposition,a failure of the general staff(myself included), it was a failure of responsible public opinion & the press.For the government of India,it was a Himalayan Blunder at all levels",I Unquote. 

Frank Moraes averred that Brig Dalvi in his book 'THE HIMALAYAN BLUNDER',did not spare those whom he believed were the guilty men.He goes further to state that the political policies of the omniscient know-all in New Delhi were instrumental in the military dangers that were openly exposed.Quite rightly so,it was a 'Politico-Babus(ICS) Combine' of the Ministry of Defence that had become a super military HQ.The more humble successors the IAS were firmly convinced of their feeling of being 'The King of Kings','The All-wise ' & 'The Omnipotent'.Surprisingly,this ICS arrogance was a material factor in the sequence of events that found India unprepared for war in 1962, so said Brig Dalvi. Nothing has  changed even after 52 years.Both the politician & the civil servant found it convenient to keep the soldier in his place, & devise a system whereby the Army was always asking,begging,pleading & justifying.The military advice even today runs the gauntlet of civilian scrutiny. Netas who are oblivious of matters of  National Security sign under the dotted lines as the files continue to be pushed up & down in the Ministry of Defence. Recent resignation of Admiral DK Joshi is a case in point.So, nothing has changed virtually over the years.

Nehru ,like Chiang Kai-shek had wielded power for very long & had made himself indispensable.He was always surrounded by a coterie of yes men & the lower rung of Netas & Babus were part of it.Patel had written to him a long Demi Official letter in 1950 indicating the looming threat from China & had even resigned due to his growing differences with Nehru over matters of National Security.It was, however,withdrawn  on the latter's request.But the Iron Man died soon thereafter & contents of this letter were made public  after very many years.Nehru did not live long after the Chinese invasion either.He died on 27th May 1964.

In light of the aforesaid,when Nehru declared " Throw Chinese Out of Indian territory" & even this sentiment was echoed in the Parliament,China went ahead by launching a full fledged operation &  'To teach India a Lesson'.The Chinese withdrew unilaterally telling the world that they went in only to the areas in the Northern & Eastern Sectors that they felt rightfully belonged to them.It was also with a view to gain a high moral ground. So the 'Forward' Policy' was nothing but  a balloon that burst the moment it struck the first pebble !On both strategic & tactical fronts, it was a disaster.

Nehru listened more  to Galbraith than his own IAF Chief, when the latter told him that IAF should not be employed for the fear of escalation of war.In those years,Chinese Air Force was primitive & could not have even crossed the mighty Himalayas .So it was the poor Indian Army that was led to the garden path !The Politico-Babu meddling continued unabated in military matters.It continues with astonishing regularity even now.

Soon after Bharat  Ratna Chakravarti Rajagopalachari,  the first & last Governor General Of India perused the essentials of Indian Constitution, he remarked that since India had been slaves to so many foreign powers,they were not in a position or mature enough to understand & enjoy ''parliamentary democracy'.Every citizen has to ,first,understand & comply with his basic responsibilities towards the Nation State -to be able to enjoy the fruits of democracy.What he was referring to-was insertion of some checks & balances in the Constitution for a decade or so prior to its full implementation in its present form. Netas were not ready to accept his view point.

To day are we 'independent' or 'anarchist'.In Hindi are we 'SWATANTRA or SWACHANDA" ?There is a big difference between the two.In India,one can do any thing any where.No hold bars. Amongst other things,he  was also  hinting to laying down basic qualifications for the MPs & MLAs. See what happened recently in the Parliament.

As a result,we could not develop a National Culture ,Ethos & a Right Attitude.Astonishingly,India does not have a documented National Strategy.If you do not have a National Strategy,how can you derive National Security Strategy,National Foreign Policy,Internal Security Policy & & so on ?.After  67 years of independence ,India still does not know her Vision,Aims & Objectives; what are her national Interests & priorities& what place does she want to hold in the comity of nations with particular reference to Asia?

The Nehru-Menon-Politico-Babu Combine,Bogi Sen-Kaul & Monty Palit- this equation still exists today!Only names have changed.

Thimayya of Zoji La fame,had resigned ,firstly,because of uncouth bahaviourial pattern of Menon & ,secondly, because he wanted to propose major changes in Army's deployment in dealing with China.Nehru called him to his office & requested him to withdraw his resignation which he did as a gentleman.The very next day, he was ridiculed by Nehru in Parliament. Thimayya could not reconcile to this insult & had remained a  shadow of himself till he retired.

I recall when the Kargil war had begun.The statement of the then Chief was,Quote' We shall fight with what we have",Unquote.Is this the way the Armed Forces are treated ?
We had many anxious moments during this limited war.Later, the Netas took the maximum advantage out of Indian victory.We had a Minister who had once said that Indian Army should be employed in agricultural work & making houses.Surprisingly,the same Minister talked later of 'JAI JAWAN JAI KISAAN'.What is all this ? 

We have so many intelligence agencies with none of these coming out with real time & actionable information.I recall Mr Dave of the IB stating that IB had failed about knowing Pakistan's intentions in Kargil. At least he had the moral courage & conviction to have said so in the first CCPA Meeting at MO Directorate that was attended by the then PM.So, the intelligence angle ( IB & RA & W) is also a big let down to the Armed Forces.It would  not be out of place to mention here that the Civil-Military relationship/equation today stands as dismal  as it was in sixties.

Subramaniam Committee's recommendations are yet to be implemented The so called Integrated HQ of defence is a mere sham.There is no CDS in sight.

Every 'parha-likha' Indian knows the real issues behind the 62 War.Then what is new that has come out ?

The Netas-Babus Combine knows it well as to where do the problems really lie. But they do not want to undertake any corrective measures, because then,they would be held accountable ,responsible & answerable !

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