Rank has uneven privileges in
India By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - In Pakistan, the military
remains the dominant institution for better or
worse.
But in India, the heads of the
three armed forces, navy, air force and army, are
- like civilians - by statute required to be
searched by security personnel at airports before
they can board a passenger flight.
Otherwise, the service chiefs are
responsible for the security of the nation,
protect the borders against incursions, command the
second-largest army in the
world and command most sophisticated arsenal.
The security check is a minor matter; it's
not as if the armed forces chiefs are actually
physically checked, surrounded as they are by a
posse of personal security guards and protocol
officers when they travel. The statute, however,
is a reflection of the unflattering status of the
defense forces in India's civilian democratic
setup.
India's defense forces work under
the overall administrative purview of the Defense
Ministry, currently headed by minister A K Antony,
who reportedly has been unhappy with the frisking
rule.
Antony took up the matter with the
federal Civil Aviation Ministry that oversees
airports and airlines, at the behest of the three
service chiefs who had previously written a letter
requesting an exemption.
However, the
Aviation Ministry refused the proposal. The
reasoning was that other authorities, mostly civil
servants who head ministries and are referred to
as secretaries, would voice similar demands.
While nobody argues for the overbearing
primacy of the military in a civil society, what
has pinched is the list of exemptions that have
been granted by the same government, in the game
of political patronage, where outward show of
power counts for a lot.
It's a paradox
that a private businessman Robert Vadra, the
son-in-law of Congress party president Sonia
Gandhi, and husband of Priyanka Gandhi, is exempt,
as are some senior bureaucrats who are outranked
by the service chiefs.
The fact is that
through the years, the list of those eligible to
forego airport checks has been drastically
tampered to suit individual interests.
In
the 1980s, there were only five exemptions:
president, vice president, prime minister, chief
justice of the Supreme Court, speaker of the Lok
Sabha (the Lower House of Parliament) and state
governors. Today it includes cabinet ministers,
ministers of state and sundry others with access
to the powers-that-be.
Indeed, given the
existing disparity in treatment between senior
bureaucrats and the service chiefs at civil
airports, the latter's request is understandable.
Retired Lieutenant General J F R Jacob has
been quoted to say that it is an irony that
service chiefs responsible for the security of the
country are required by law to be physically
checked before embarking on a civilian flight.
Many say the government should enforce the
original rule, however this seems unlikely as
Indian politicians are known to be very touchy.
In the past, India reacted angrily to
then-defense minister George Fernandes being
searched (he had to take off his shoes and socks)
by security officials in the United States in a
post-September 11, 2001, security check.
Fernandes, known for his anti-US tirades,
was apparently "disrobed", according to former
deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, not once
but twice. Talbott, in a book chronicling the
events, says Fernandes was angered by the
incidents.
Incumbent speaker of the Lok
Sabha Somnath Chatterjee canceled a visit to
Australia rather than let officials physically
search him, following a verbal war of words in the
media. He also had major problems with his wife
being required to walk through a scanner while
traveling within India.
Recently, the
Foreign Ministry took offense to Russian security
officials insisting on searching Foreign Minister
Pranab Mukherjee, who was on a visit to the
country.
Moscow wanted to convey that it
was very unhappy with New Delhi's bonhomie with
the US that is translating into more defense deals
and possibly nuclear business, and it obviously
knows a bit about Indian politicians' aversion to
being searched.
An offended state foreign
minister Anand Sharma recently created a furor by
arguing with officials at the airport and
eventually got the rule book changed to exclude
himself.
Freedom from airport frisking is
just the least of garnering government perks.
Among others are allotments at the prime New Delhi
bungalow area which were only recently very
reluctantly vacated.
If a minister or
political leader dies, families insist (taking
even legal recourse) on converting the
accommodation into a memorial or museum, while
continuing to occupy the same. Many times former
members of Parliament have to be physically
evicted. Bureaucrats try to wrangle dual postings
and other excuses to retain official apartments in
the national capital.
Another hot tag is
threat perception, especially from known terror
groups such as al-Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Toiba. The
highest Z-plus category accompanies the star
label, very very important person (VVIP).
There is always a rush of supposedly
important people wanting to include themselves in
a higher risk category that entitles them to
personal commandos (referred to as Black Cats due
their attire and skill) and escort vehicles.
The commandos mostly function as bouncers
fending off private citizens, while the red
beacon, siren-fitted escort vehicles specialize in
jumping traffic lights and shooing away nearby
vehicles. Anybody driving in Delhi can vouch for
this nuisance done in the name of "security".
The latest events also reflect the little
say that the armed forces have in policy matters
and multi-billion defense contracts that India is
signing to modernize its military.
Thus,
as the business stakes become higher, both current
and retired bureaucrats and civil servants are
being hired at very high salaries by private firms
to lobby the decision-makers. In contrast, many
ex-military officers have to look for
opportunities such as managing private security
agencies or the rising number of golf courses that
cater to the growing rich.
A flat refusal
to the three service chief's is an instance of
indignity that highlights the precedence of the
political establishment, which in many ways is
good. But, it is a shame that the service chiefs,
with impeccable career records, have to line up,
even if on paper.
Siddharth
Srivastava is a New Delhi-based
journalist.
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