How Mindless Indian Administrative Service Can Become
The J&K state Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra on the directions of Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam issued an order on April 3 in which civilian traffic was restricted on the national highway from Udhampur in Jammu region to Baramulla in North Kashmir on Sunday and Wednesday every week till May 31 to facilitate the smooth movement of the convoys of the security forces on those two days.
Notwithstanding the above the Army operated a convoy on Monday as usual. Such orders cannot be passed any where in India by any Civil authority with respect to the movement of Armed Forces.
In case any such thing is required, the State authorities need to consult the local HQ Sub Area / HQ Area or the concerned HQ Command. Orders if any will then be passed by the respective Formation HQ to their subordinate formations and units.
Here it is vey pertinent to mention that the term Security Forces covers all the Central Police and State Police Forces and the term should not be confused and by any means meant to include the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
In case shri Shaleen Kabra or Shri BVR Subrahmanyan thought that their order would be applicable to the Northern Army then either they are naïve or complete fools.
They also forgot that entire J&K is a field or Operational Area, where Army does not need to even consult the State Government for any move or any conduct if the operational need so dictates.
With the State being under the Governor Rule such actions of Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary must have caused red faces even in the Union Home Ministry. Though at times even the Union Home Ministry is prone to such activities.
In 2005, the Chief Minister of J&K had requested the 15 Corps Commander to organize a Grand Show in Srinagar on the 26 January the Republic Day. The Corps Commander made a request to the Army HQ for Army Sky divers to jump and land in the Bakshi Stadium right after the parade.
The Union Home Ministry, sighting security situation refused clearance to IAF helicopters, even when it was pointed out that as the Security Advisor to the State Government, the Corps Commander had already assessed the situation. So the Army went ahead anyway using Army Aviation choppers. It was a grand success and well appreciated by the locals.
The message was loud and clear, no terrorist or Pakistani was going to deter us from celebrating our Republic Day in the manner as we prefer. The Corps Commander was the erstwhile Governor of Arunachal and the present Governor of Mizoram, Lt General Nirbhay Sharma. As Captain and Adjutant of 2 PARA, he had been the first officer to enter Dacca ……carrying the message of Sam Bhadur to Niazzi to surrender.
Some officials of the State Govt have agreed that there were no consultations with the army officers concerned before the order on the convoy movement for security forces was issued. And they say that there is total coordination between all stake holders in J& K ?
“During informal talks, it was made clear to the state officials that such an order cannot be given to the Army by the Civil and was not possible to implement,” has been clearly told to the State Govt said an military officer who is engaged in convoy movement.
During the movement of an army convoy on the national highway on Monday, at some places, even the CRPF vehicles were seen.
The Jammu and Kashmir police, as well as other state and central security agencies, were also apparently caught unaware about the order issued by the state home department.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also posted a video of an army convoy moving on Monday while the civilian traffic was plying normally on the other side of the road. “Here’s another full strength convoy. I’m simply trying to highlight the point that the architects of the highway closure have made no application of mind. Somehow this convoy on the highway is safe today but it wouldn’t have been yesterday (Sunday) and won’t be on Wednesday,” he tweeted while taking a dig at the state administration.
“If it is safe for SF convoys to move on Monday WITHOUT closing the highway to civilian traffic, why is it not safe on Wednesdays & Sundays? Nothing proves the mindlessness of the order more than army movement on ‘unsafe’ days. This road is part of the highway by the way,” the National Conference leader added.
