
‘MO directorate advised Gen Vaidya not to use Army for operation in Golden Temple'
Former Army Chief General VN Sharma (retd) has made a startling revelation that the Military Operations Directorate had advised the then Army Chief General AS Vaidya that the Indian Army should not get involved in any operation to flush out Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters from the Golden Temple as it was a political move.
General VN Sharma has made this statement in the course of an interview to a former Judge Advocate General of the Army, Maj Gen Nilendra Kumar, on a YouTube channel-Lex Consilium Foundation. The interview was uploaded on the channel on June 5, a day ahead of the 41st anniversary of Operation Blue Star and has generated considerable number of views and comments.
The 95-year-old General VN Sharma was serving as Additional Director General Military Operations (ADGMO) in the Military Operations (MO) directorate at the time Op Blue Star was launched. Lt Gen CN Somanna was the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) at the time while Maj Gen (later Lt Gen) VK Nayar was the other Additional Director General Military Operations in the directorate. Both, Somanna and Nayar have passed away many years back.
Gen Sharma says in the interview that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted the Army to carry out the operation inside Golden Temple because the Punjab Police had refused to do so. 'Arun Vaidya was called to the Prime Minister's Office and was told that Bhindranwale had to be removed because he was getting too big for his boots, he doesn't listen to anyone so take the Army in. General Vaidya said okay,' Gen Sharma recalls.
He says the Army Chief then arrived at the MO directorate and spoke to the DGMO and the two ADGMOs regarding the task to be done. 'We suggested to him that this was not a correct employment of the Indian Army. We explained that according to the Constitution the Indian Army cannot be used for political purposes by any government,' said Gen Sharma.
He goes on to say that the then PM wanted the Army to do the task because the police had refused. 'So we told General Vaidya that it was not politically expedient because we cannot use the military for political purposes. She did a political stunt to put Bhindranwale there and now she was doing another political stunt to remove him by force using the Army since the police has refused,' says General Sharma in the interview. General Sharma goes on to say that the Army Chief General Vaidya was told my the three senior-most MO directorate officers that some other force like BSF, CRPF should be used and the Army should not intervene.
'He said she is the boss and when the boss says to jump you have to jump. We said no. You are a constitutional authority, the Army Chief, you have to ensure that the constitution is not violated. One option is to go to the Supreme Court and ask them as to whether this is legal or not legal. He said what do you expect me to do. We suggested that he go to her and tell her that it is not Army's job,' said General Sharma.
The former Army Chief then goes on to say that General Vaidya went back to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and told her the view of the MO Directorate. He said that the PM then decided to approach the Western Army Commander Lt Gen K Sundarji directly in order to get the operation conducted since the Chief was reluctant.
'Vaidya's office told Sundarji to go meet the Prime Minister. He (Vaidya) came back to the MO directorate and told this has happened. We said sir 'maaf karo' you have no business to allow an Army Commander to go directly to the Prime Minister,' he said.
General Sharma said the MO directorate was in touch with the staff of the Prime Minister's Office and came to know that General Sundarji had been asked to conduct the operation. 'When he (Sundarji) came out of there we rang him up and said that you may like to step into the MO directorate and discuss this issue with us. He said I am not interested in you people, I have got my orders and I am going to do it,' said General Sharma.
The former Army Chief further says that the decision to use 9 Infantry Division, headquartered in Meerut was that of General Sundarji himself and not the MO directorate. He added that Sundarji's first choice was to approach GOC 15 Division (Maj Gen Jamwal) to do the task but he refused. 'Sundarji asked him to produce a battalion of infantry and some support some tanks or something to take on this job, he refused. He said it was a political situation and not for Army to get intervened,' said General Sharma. He says General Sundarji thereafter chose 9 Division commanded by Major General KS Brar and that one of the reasons was that he wanted Sikhs conducting Operation Blue Star and taking part in actual action on ground.
During the course of the interview General Sharma also holds forth on the ethos of Indian Army training and obeying a lawful command. 'The Indian Army officers training during command is to be an independent officer. If you find something wrong don't do it. It is not a question of disobedience of orders. It is a question of obeying orders despite their better sense, because they are yes men and they want their promotion,' he said.
General VN Sharma's remarks are bound to create a stir and the aspect of MO directorate opposing the use of Army has never been discussed in public.
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Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
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(Refer to read more: As SC raps ED, a look at agency's powers, role and red lines) Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. With reference to the office of Deputy Speaker, consider the following statements: 1. Like the Speaker, the Constitution states that the Deputy Speaker must be appointed in the first sitting of the newly elected Member of Parliaments of the House of People. 2. The Deputy Speaker has the same general powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House. 3. There was no Deputy Speaker for the entire duration of the 16th, 17th and 18th Lok Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Explanation — There was no Deputy Speaker for the entire duration of the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24). M Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, a BJP ally at the time, was Deputy Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19). The Opposition had the post of Deputy Speaker continuously from 1990 through 2014. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. — According to Article 95(1), the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker if the post is vacant. The Deputy Speaker has the same general powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House. All references to the 'Speaker' in the Rules are deemed to be references to the Deputy Speaker as well for the times when he or she presides. Hence, statement 2 is correct. — Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be appointed 'as soon as may be'. Article 93 states that 'The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker'. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 114) Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 113) Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 113) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 113) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 113) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 113) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Manas Srivastava is currently working as Senior Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and leads a unique initiative of IE - UPSC Essentials. He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called 'Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik' and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called 'You Ask We Answer'.His talks on 'How to read a newspaper' focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University's Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women's Studies by the Women's Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on 'Psychological stress among students' at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Mega anti-Trump protests in Chicago, Michigan on June 14 coincides with President's birthday: 10 points
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