The defence minister A.K. Antony has finally taken some desperately needed corrective measures in the Sukna land scam, which has once again put the great institution of Indian defence force to shame.While preliminary investigation by sources in the army have all but indicted Lt. Gen. A. Prakash as the accused in this highly controversial scam, the larger question remains: Did he do it alone or was teh entire higher command in the loop on this?
Let's face it, the selling of land adjacent to a critical military establishment in West Bengal which had earlier being declared to be of valuable defence interest has raised an eyebrow of quite a few who are a part of the larger social revolution dedicated to ensuring accountability from the higher-ups in our bureaucracy. While most of the criminal cases against army officers pertain to a human rights violation, this is one of those rare cases where the interest of the nation has been put aside for personal and commercial gains. Further investigation will definitely unearth the illegal transactions which took place between Lt. gen. Prakash and his family friend, Mr. Agarwal. The defence ministry should press for exemplary punishment to Prakash and the co-accused if it wants the retain the integrity of our Army as an institution of honor and loyalty.
Gen. Kapoor has nowhere to hide now, since being advised by the defence minister to over-turn his decision is a blot of favoritism that will stay in his records forever. He should've taken stern action as soon as the matter came up to him, but personal equations played a big role in softening his stand against the accused Lt. gen. Prakash. This calls for proactive measures on the part of the defence ministry to set up legal bodies where citizens can challenge such decisions as the one taken by Gen. Kapoor. It is necessary that the defence forces should be kept out of the purview of civillian law to ensure hassle-free functioning, but it cannot come at the cost of compromise with the respect that the defence forces command in general public. Corruption has raised its ugly head in the prestigious institution, and it should be killed right now if the government wants to maintain its dignity!
