I have been following the recent trends with regard to the veteran, Subedar (Honorary Captain) Mohommad Sanaullah of the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME), who retired in 2017 after rendering 28 years of service to the nation. He, apparently, just a week ago was suddenly categorised as a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal and was sent off to a detention camp after being dismissed from the Assam Police Border Protection Force, where he had been recruited for a second innings. Such a recruitment practice of being absorbed in the paramilitary force or in some other central or state force is a great way of providing employment to soldiers who retire early and have adequate utility years ahead. It is also a great way of showing gratitude and respect to a soldier and at the same time for the government to use his skill sets acquired over the years with a lot of investment by the government. I am also sure the officer in mention has served his unit, his regiment and the Indian Army in all sincerity and with great pride and loyalty.
However, can such admiration for the country and years of toil suddenly become a spoiler in the very character of the Army man? What does such an act mean for the nation in general and for the Indian Army in particular? Having pondered over this, I come to the conclusion that if such an outcome is to be believed then it reflects poorly on our investigative processes because the foreigner status has come to light after the soldier served for 28 years in the Indian Army. The second quizzical point is that the Indian Army, which has a rather vigorous system of ensuring that the soldiers are bonafide citizens of the country, could not detect the anomaly for 28 years and more? In fact, the Army because of Sanauallah’s good services, duly recognised and rewarded the officer by granting him the rank of an Honorary Captain, which indeed is a rare distinction for a soldier before or after retirement.
As the saying goes, ‘Once a soldier always a soldier’ has some credit lines attached to it and hinges around a major cornerstone of mutual respect among the uniformed fraternity. The Indian Army prides itself in the 'Chetwodian Motto' and the second line reads, ‘Honour, Safety and Welfare of your men’ is distinctly articulated and embedded in the hearts of all officers. From my standpoint I am convinced that it is followed in letter and spirit by all commissioned officers who take that final step from the portals of ‘The Chetwode Hall’ and pledge their allegiance to the nation and to their command. In this case too I am sure Sanaullah, who rendered long years of honorable service to the country should be given some kind of support by the Indian Army? Why should such ‘I have done my bit’ attitude be left to the Directorate of Sainik Welfare, who offered legal assistance to the individual and I am not sure what that means in terms of financial support needed for the legal assistance or is it just a mere rhetoric.
I would have thought the officer’s parent directorate, that is the Directorate of EME, should have been the front runner to raise their voices but unfortunately I see none of that happening. It may also have been right for the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), my old haunt during the Kargil conflict, to have come out with a statement of support for the veteran. This would have sent a strong message that the Indian Army cares for its soldiers and veterans, and there are adequate means of confirming feigned documents. The silence in this context on the part of the Indian Army, and perhaps through ADGPI, is not quite understood. Do we still belong to the same school of the ‘We Care’ types or has there been a change in our thinking when it comes to the ‘We care’ piece?
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK
