It is indeed regrettable that the top Netas - Pradhan Mantriji and Raksha Mantriji included - have their Pugdis and Lungis tied into a collective knot over the "gross indiscipline" of the Army, relying solely on the version of the Kolkata cops.
The media, as always, have declared the Army officers GUILTY as charged. They have also pre-empted the need to have a victim, or even her statement - and have gone ahead and declared the Army jawans GUILTY anyway. So the Neta-Babu-Patrakar-Pandu Chowkidaar axis plays Prosecutor, Judge, Jury and Executioner. After everyone from the PM, the defence minister, External Affairs minister, and the PMO, rushed to personally call and assure the WB Chief Minister that the GUILTY Army officers and jawans would be given exemplary punishment, the cops' story has begun to unravel.
By the way, when was the last time anyone heard of the PM personally rushing to inquire about common men and women who are tortured, even killed, by police high handedness?
Turns out that Park Street Cops were working overtime on New Years Eve to nab random members of the public, slapping them and locking them up on trumped up charges of drunkenness, eve teasing or hooliganism and extorting money from them. One couple has also registered a complaint with the NHRC to the effect (the husband was picked up by the park Street Cops as he and his wife were crossing the road. When he asked to know his offence, he was slapped by the cop, who took him to his superior who declared, 'You are a drunkard', slapped him some more, and ordered that he be locked up.) Just so happened that the police snared the wrong fish - the Army Officers - and promptly ended up getting paid in their own coin - by being placed at the receiving end of a (well deserved) beating.
The media immediately jumped on the "casting aspersions" bandwagon and sullied the Army. As the truth slowly begins to emerge - and the usual shenanigans of Indian cops wear thin - we see that there is no woman that complained about being teased or groped.
Four bouncers of this hotel thrashed an Army Major because he demanded his meal for a valid coupon he held. They then put him in a taxi and brought him to Park Street cops. Hafta happy cops who have good 'relations' with this hotel dutifully locked up the officer - inspite of him informing them of his identity. 'No one tells us what we are supposed to do here', so saying the cops beat up the Major before locking him. This is a clear violation of the law - but pandu chowkidars obviously have no clue about the Army Act passed by the Parliament. Soon a captain reaches the police station to reason with the Pandus to free his superior officer. 'Dont tell us what we are supposed to do here' so saying they lock up the Captain as well and for good measure book him for guess what? 'Crossing the road at the wrong place'! Wow, that is so cute. Isnt it?
Unfortunately for the cops, the Captain had called his Commanding Officer on his cell before he was locked up. The Commanding Officer (CO) of the 3 Madras regiment (Madras regiment is the oldest Regiment in the Indian Army - a small trivia for you - inconsequential to the case) comes with soldiers of his unit - soldiers that have fought with, and under the leadership of, these officers for 5 years in Siachen and Kashmir and have lost some of their men there - witness the badly beaten Major and Captain. The CO, a Lt. Colonel, gets the cop to open the lockup, and as the Major steps out the jawans get to see the real extent of the beatings handed to their officer. To make matters worse the cop speaks rough and insults the Major in the presence of his jawans. The 3 Madras jawans known to give their life to rescue their own from the enemey, fly into blind rage and all hell breaks loose. Their CO, the Lt Colonel restores order and disperses them, and himself waits for senior Police Officers to arrive. The cops immediately call the press, and the print and electronic media is full of stories about 'Yet another case of gross indiscipline in the Army'.
The Prime Minister, Defence Minister and External Affairs minister express their unhappiness at the 'indiscipline of the GUILTY Army officers' and call the West Bengal CM to offer full support! The Army refuses to hand over their own. The police chief is angry but when made to read and understand the letter of the law by the Army authorities, comes around. Now the cops end up looking like fools, because they obviously never went to the scene of the alleged eve teasing to investigate, or even bothered to take the statement of the 'victim' - they simply went by the words of the bouncers of Park Hotel.
The cops are now looking desperately for 'witnesses', and not being able to produce any, who do they come up with? The 4 bouncers themselves of course!!! Now they - the bouncers - claim that the 4 of them were beaten bad by the Major! So I guess these 4 were the eves that the Major teased. The cops now claim that they of course never knew that these were army officers - else they would have followed the law! The truth will slowly emerge and certainly the situation ended up much worse than it should have been. Neither party should be blamed or exonerated till the final picture is out. What stuns me is the alacrity with which the PM, defence minister and External affairs Minister of this country reacted to the 'shameful guilt of army officers' without so much as bothering to ascertain basic facts.
Why is it that so many cases of police excesses, and even some cases of army excesses against general civilian population in Kashmir / North East, does not elicit the same swift reaction from these folks? But touch their corrupt babus or pandus and Netas behave like a cat on a hot tin roof. Of the press' eagerness to besmirch the Armed forces, the lesser said the better. A few quick questions for the Neta-babu-Patrakar-Pandu axis...
1. The Army officers indicted in Tehelka scam are serving prison time - after being court martialed by the Army. What about the bureacrats involved? Any guesses? Of course absolutely nothing happens to them.
2. The army officer accused in the Kashmir molestation case has been tried by the army, punished and discharged from service. What about the cop - the SHO - who was also involved? You guessed right. Even an FIR has not been filed. So much for the indiscipline of the Army and the efficiency of the morally upright cops / neta / babu axis.
3. Why do Kolkata citizens complain that when ever riotous situations erupt in Kolkata the brave cops suddenly become incommunicado - and dont take any phone calls? Because when required to muster courage and discipline they do exactly what they did when confronted by jawans of 3 Madras Regiment - hide under their desks. Finally to control rioting mobs Neta / Babus requisition the 'indisciplined' Army and the jawans face up to the marauding mobs and bring things under control.
4. Where is the PMO and PM when widows of Kargil martyrs go running from pillar to post begging for the Gas stations that a grateful nation promised 8 years ago? Some of the widows have had to go on hunger strike, others threatened suicide. Of course the 'disciplined' bureacrats and ethical politicians hide behind various fig leaves like 'land acquisition problems' and 'procedural delays'. When it is time for these 'indisciplined and GUILTY' army officers and Jawans to lay down their lives there is never any 'procedural delay'.
5. Why doesn't the PMO, PM and Raksha Mantri ever commiserate with, and get so agitated over, long pending legitimate grievances of Armed Forces personnel regarding pay, pension, equipment, housing etc.?
Did you hear of the PM and PMO's displeasure at the Army chief's refusal to unilaterally withdraw Indian troops from Siachen as demanded by Pakistan as a "Confidence building meausure"? As a last resort the Indian Army chief requested the Netas - Defence Minister and PM - to bear down on Pakistan to jointly certify / delienate on maps the Indian positions prior to getting Indian soldiers to stand down. Neither the Indian PM, nor the Pakistani dictator ("Ataturk" wannabe and infamous Kargil architect) are happy with the Indian Army. Long story short, the army chief's insistence on the map has rained on the PM's expected "solution" to the Kashmir issue in addition to deferring / cancelling his proposed trip to Pakistan. For his efforts the Army Chief has incurred the displeasure of the External Affairs Mantri Mahodayji, and an informal gag on holding press conferences.
This is what the Neta / Babu nexus is upto. Of the police and trigger happy rent-a-cause Patrakar the lesser said the better.
By the way, did the cops lock KPS Gill up and beat him even after he confessed to groping / misbehaving with a woman?
Just a little crumb for thought - Now that the Chowkidaar-Neta-Babu axis have been educated on the provisions of the Army, Navy and Airforce Acts that disallow Pandu chowkidaar to arrest an Army Major, Lt. Colonel or General (except on charges of Rape, Murder or culpable homicide), it wont be long before they work in tandem to amend these provisions through an Act of Parliament. Should that take long, pandu chowkidaars could now trump up charges of Rape, Murder, Culpable homicide against defence personnel including Senior Officers and promptly lock them up.
It is sad that when foreign Armies like the US Army, Canadian Army and Australian Army are sending their Army officers and soldiers to be trained in specialised warfare Schools of the Indian Army, fellow Indians - Pradhan Mantri Mahodayji, Raksha Mantri Mahodayji and External Affairs Mantri Mahodayji included - publicly berate Army Officers and Jawans before even waiting for the facts to emerge.
The Aam Janta's blind support for the police in any skirmish between Police and the Armed Forces (as evidenced by letters and comments in the blogosphere and print media) may seem surprising, confounding, even frustrating at first glance. However the unwritten "slave charter" that governs the one-way relationship between Pandu chowkidaar and "pulis se soshit peedit" Public can put things in perspective. In a subservience that mirrors slave Tom's ("Uncle Tom's cabin") reverence for his brutal white masters of slavery era America, the Indian public invariably forget and forgive the periodic brutality handed them by their Pandu chowkidaars - Bhagalpur blindings, fake encounter killings, rapes, custodial deaths, routine merciless beatings, the occassional urine therapy / golden shower / watersports (kind courtesy of Orissa Police), forced incest between mother and son (mission accomplished by Rajasthan Police circa 1996) and Systematic breaking of bones ("Emergency" era gift to the people from Kerala Police) to name just a few from this eminent collection.
However, come time for these very police brutes to receive their just deserts at the hands of the Military (as in the case of the Kolkata Police, or in case of the thrashing administered to Kerala police in Thevara police station, Kochi, by Naval Officers incensed over the beating, arrest, and locking up of a fellow Naval Officer over a trumped up petty traffic offense by a Kerala police constable - "So you are a Naval Officer? Let me teach you a lesson" - in 1992) the "pulis se peedit soshit laachar" Aam Janta, like slave Uncle Tom, invariably stand by their tormentor-in-chief - Pandu chowkidaar. Never the Army.
Slave Tom considered it his spiritual duty to serve his master (subservience to the earthly master as a prelude, almost a rite of passage, to serving the heavenly master). Right or wrong, my slave master is always right.
The Indian Public considers it democracy. Plain and simple. Right or wrong, between the Armed Forces and Police, my Pandu Chowkidaar is always right. Never the Armed Forces.
For all of Aam Janta's fawning obsequiousness, how does the Neta-Babu-Patrakar-Pandu nexus regard the common man? Exactly how the white masters regarded slave Uncle Tom and his ilk: "Bigger the fool, better the slave."
RE:Some more on our Netas and Babus ...
by Setu Madhavan on Feb 05, 2007 01:48 PM
Since the Media has been instructed to not report on this issue and let it fall out of public gaze, here is the latest on this episode...
Writer%u2019s Building (Senior Bureaucracy of West Bengal Government) is very UNHAPPY with the way the Police handled the situation!
In fact, after the babus staked their credibility and escalated the issue to PMO / PM level overnight, the kolkata babus were stunned, even grudgingly respectful of the cogent, articulate and thorough legal arguments presented by the Military authorities punching irrefutable holes in the police version and approach.
Apparently the PMO is very unhappy as well that the IAS / IPS lobby in Kolkata prematurely escalated the incident to the bureaucrats within the PMO and got the PM to react in support of the Kolkata cops even when the cops, as it turns out, were in the wrong.
It was not for nothing that the Chief Secretary (Home Secretary too) of West Bengal appeared so much more conciliatory, even admiring of the Army authorities the very next morning (%u201DI should give the Army credit where it is due. It is best if they investigate. They are already moving much %u201Cfaster%u201D (the obvious comparison being with the Pandus). We have high regard for the Army%u201D%u2026etc.)
If the pandus were out-pandu%u2019ed by the Army jawans the night before in the %u2018laat ghoosa%u2019 department, then the babus were out-babu%u2019ed by Army Officers the morning after in the babu%u2019cracy, intelligence gathering and legal departments. The Army came through the (Kolkata bureaucrats - Army Authorities) meeting as the better prepared, informed and professional party. The Babus immediately agreed that the Army should drive the investigation going forward.
The grandiose statements by the Police chief ( %u201CMy men did not confront the Army only to avoid a bloodbath otherwise we are more than capable to handle such people%u201D, %u201CI will move the courts to arrest these officers and put them back in custody and I will see this to its end%u201D, %u201CMy officers will not go to the Army to depose we will get the Army Officers to depose for our investigation%u201D ) in between his lobbying efforts to become Chief of CAB (Cricket association of Bengal) when this issue was still hanging fire, did not endear him to the babus who were themselves working overtime to contain the situation. It is rumoured within Writer%u2019s Building that as soon as the Babus succeed in sweeping this incident under the carpet, and out of public imagination, the Kolkata Police chief would be eased out of his position - possibly as the CAB chief itself.
That the Army%u2019s court has already begun its work and started witness depositions, while the cops are yet to even send a written report to the Army, tells something about either party%u2019s professionalism and discipline. The Army authorities, unmindful of the Neta / Babu / Pandu / Patrakar shenanigans, have made it very clear that they are determined to move full speed ahead with their investigation. Notwithstanding the go-slow wont-cooperate mode of the police, the Army approached the judiciary in quick time and the magistrate ordered the cops to depose before the Army court - inside the Army base - instead of the other way around!
From its end the Army has assured timely punitive measures to its offending personnel for alleged offences if proved in court - including eve teasing, vandalism - provided of course witness depositions are made available. With the %u2018eve teased%u2019 woman having vanished without a trace, and not a single attendee at the new Years bash at the hotel corroborating the eve teasing story the cops are truly embarrased. Further atleast 3 neutral witnesses have come forward disputing the police version of the vandalism story! The only recourse therefore available to the cops to keep the lid from being blown of their misdeeds and subsequent coverup was to not depose themselves in the Army court - thereby keeping the court in perpetual limbo.
Despite allround pressure on the cops to honour the summons from the Army court the constables have been mortified about visiting the Army cantonment / court and had been delaying it under one pretext or the other. Finally, the 2 offending cops - the same very 2 guys that also bore the biggest brunt of the Madras regiment fury - appeared before the Army court a few days ago. Apparently the babus have engaged in a lot of behind the scenes diplomacy with the Army authorities (the Army is furious at the lies planted in the media, and the inability of the cops to corroborate their stories - eve teasing / drunkenness of Army personnel - with any credible witnesses, FIRs or crime scene reports) to let issue die down.
The Army also filed FIRs against the police for illegally arresting and manhandling Army officers in clear violation of the Army Act passed by Parliament - and made it clear to the bureaucrats that they are determined to take the issue up till the highest court of the land, if required, to prosecute justice and punish the guilty policemen.
Their initial posturing in the media notwithstanding, both the bureaucrats and police realized just how strong a legal ground the Army is on. The cogent and successful arguments made by the Judge Advocate General of the Army to the Magistrate in Kolkata (to order the police to depose before the army court) convinced the Babus and police that the Army authorities can more than can match them in court just as they 'checkmated' the pandus in the %u2018laat ghoosa%u2019 department.
Indications are that the bureaucrats are trying the best to request the Army authorities let bygones be bygones, and to kindly let the cops off the hook (drop the FIRs against the constables), and for public consumption just give a token verbal %u2018displeasure%u2019 to the Armymen for thrashing the guilty cops. The babus would get the media to stay off the case so the honor and dignity (H&D) of Kolkata cops%u2019, and more importantly H&D of Netas (PM, Raksha Mantri and External Affairs Mantri that needlessly spoke in support of the pandu chowkidars) can be redeemed.
Credit must be given to the babus for the damage control mode they kickstarted after realizing that the Army guys - in characteristic fashion - had their act together with lightning speed, while the pandus took everyone - including Netas - for a jolly ride with their stories, not to speak of unprofessionalism (Police officer was missing from Police station during the incident leaving Pandus chowkidaars to freely distribute %u2018laat ghoosa%u2019 to handle situations, frivolous charges against the Army Officers, absolutely no clue about laws that clearly govern handling situations involving Military personnel, needless manhandling of the Army Officers and mocking at them in custody ( "Bolta hain Army Major hain%u201D, or something to that effect in Bengali, as told by neutral witnesses present at the police station at the time).
Curiously enough, the print / electronic media except %u2018Outlook%u2019 (http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp...takorner&sid=1) have largely gone silent about this issue - with no follow up investigative report about the woman, hotel, police, or the case itself! This is an %u201Cout of sight out of public mind%u201D formula devised by patrakar-babu combine so that after the initial news cycles - ( "Indisciplined Army hit innocent lachar pandus%u201D ) that got the %u2018favorable%u2019 police version out - the issue falls out of public domain and imagination. A carefully thought out, and so far successful, exit strategy for the cops - as aam junta%u2019s attention is diverted to Nithari murders and ULFA. This way, the Police %u2018high handedness%u2019 and %u2018gross negligence%u2019 that actually caused the incident to flare up and spin out of control does not come into public knowledge - and if / when it does the news is stale.
Good babus are supposed to sacrifice themselves if required to keep the H&D (honor and dignity) of Netas intact. Babus now have to figure out a way to untangle the pugdis and lungis of Netas that got all knotted up by the fury of the blows from Madras Regiment that landed resoundingly, and very painfully, on the heads of Kolkata pandus.
For the sake of our beloved Netas I wish the babus all the best in this noble endeavor.
Forget this Abhinaya and Google thing. This guy has steered the Consulate to goof up. Here is the article - actually lifted from San Francisco Chronicle. http://ia.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/03visa.htm
Whose head is going to roll? What is the financial cost - paying for lawsuits from US citizens whose identity was also compromised? I guess, Indian citizens' identity can be trampled anyway, per the Consul General's own statement. Indian dictatorship should become a democracy - hold these jokers accountable. Is there anything like the Senate Committee hearings, in India? Do jokers like BSPrakash ever answer anyone? Or do they pay bribes, get posted in desirable places, and it goes on from there.
On a side note: Btw, most "profitable positions" in Indian govt jobs e.g. Public Works Dept. where Superintendent Engineer position needs to pay 25lacs(1993) for a six month posting to Dhawaleshwaram(Rajahmundry, AP). They usually make up the money in the six months.
Well, what can I say, apparently according to Prakash, in the USA sensitive information like passport numbers, date of birth etc, is considered sensitive because of Americans have cultural issues. This a totally senseless and racist comment for someone representing India at the level of a Consulate General. Prakash owes a big time apology to the public and must publicly reveal what measures are taken to protect sensitive information. It's appalling that the Indian Consulate in SFO could do something this senseless. Identity theft is a crime punishable under the strictest laws and Prakash has ended up helping the Identity thieves, isn't that a crime too? I strongly feel that Prakash should quit writing and concentrate on working or at least reading about identity theft, on Google.
RE:Prakash brings shame to India
by Mani Ratnam on Feb 04, 2007 11:05 PM
Did he say it is because of Americal Cultural issues:) NO idiot Prakash, people could use personal info for all kinds of fraud! like opening credit cards etc.
RE:Prakash brings shame to India
by srinivas on Feb 05, 2007 12:09 AM
First of all, here is the web link to BS's goof up: http://ia.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/03visa.htm
Hey BS, stop pretending to be a cool writer. Answer these questions: Q1. What is the financial liability for the SF Indian Consulate for your goof up? That is: how much will your govt. pay up to cover law suits?
Q2. Did you write this article about Google without being aware of identity theft? If yes, then you are probably a reservation candidate. If no, then you don't qualify to be in an officer's position.
Q3. Did you also dump any intelligence info that consulates gather, as part of their "usual" mission?
Q4. WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE? Q5. Take your job seriously. Stop fooling around writing columns.
RE:Prakash brings shame to India
by ritesh ramesh on Feb 04, 2007 10:55 PM
I agree with Dow Green.I found it appalling for someone as qualified as Prakash to come out with this statement -
'The documents were not confidential and did not contain social security numbers or credit card numbers. There might be a cultural dimension to the level of outrage related to the incident among Western visa applicants.In India, I would not be alarmed. We have grown up giving such information in many, many places. We would not be so worried if someone had our passport number,' he was quoted in the Chronicle report.
People in SF don't care whether this would have created a public outrage in India or not. The fact was that the Indian consulate in SFO lacked any foresight while dumping these documents. Just Apologize.Where's the accoutability?? Be it San Francisco or London or anywhere in the world,this is the common trait for Indian Bureaucracy. Way to go Indian Foreign Service. Maybe he could made the same statement in India and gotten away with it.
BS Prakash needs someone like Bill O Reilly on Public television to remind him the security consequences of this fiasco.
Then preach to us. It's dirty as hell there at SFO consulate, worse than any govt office in India. Plus haven't you heard the news last week that they dumped applicants personel info on the street, cause they dobn't have time to shred it:) JOKE!
Mr Prakash should spend more time doing his job right than writing all these useless articles. Todays report in SF Chronical about the way Indian cosnulate is handling confidential information is very worrying. Even more worrying the lame "Culture Difference" excuse Mr Prakash used. It shows India and Indians in a very poor light. When we are trying to become the Information Technology Leader .. how we handle Information is very important
RE:Do you Job right first
by Vijay on Feb 03, 2007 06:30 PM
Absolutely. CG Prakash needs to stop writing such useless articles and focus more on his work, and on improving his pathetic attitude, which was displayed in the case of the disposal of visa applications. What a disgrace.
