Post Mortem - Agnipath

Postmortem is an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death but sadly, postmortem is being performed on the Agnipath before its implementation as it compromises our national security.

What element is the most important for our sovereignty and territorial integrity as a nation? Obviously, the national security, territorial integrity and all round well-being of the country’s citizenry over saving some crores in pay and pension of the defence personnel!

Being an infantry officer with tenure each in the Kumaon Regimental Centre Ranikhet and the Assam Rifles Training Centre for 4 years, after a year’s rigorous training recruit picks up the basic traits of soldiering.

He learns group cohesiveness, and the three elements of Naam, Namak and Nishan-the camaraderie in the next 3-4 years training in his section, platoon, company and the battalion.

During his first few years’ service, every young soldier has to opt and master one specialization in the handling of 81 mm Mortar, Medium Machine Gun, Recoilless anti-tank gun, basic field engineering tasks like creation /demolition of obstacles and laying and lifting of dangerous tasks of anti-personal and anti-tank mines and explosive handling as unit’s pioneer, handling of unit signaling equipment, driving of military vehicles in combat zone in all terrain, military band and medical assistants for evacuation of casualties and administering emergency life-saving medical aid, gathering enemy intelligence techniques in Intelligence Section and counter intelligence and regimental policing in RP Section. Such specialised training itself takes 12 to 24 months.

With introduction of the newer hi-tech weapon systems like anti-tank missiles, drones and cyber warfare use of computers and artificial intelligence (AT) for optimizing combat effectiveness for which time taken may vary a bit more. In technical arms, time taken may be a bit more. After this training only over 4 year’s period, a soldier optimizes his combat worthiness. After recruitment in next 3 years with 9 months leave (2 months annual leave and 20 days casual in a year)and catering for odd sickness and travel time, the 4 years would fly before soldiers services are effectively utilsed after his training and 75% trained soldiers would be unemployed and on the streets.

The Central police organisations (CPOs) are too reluctant to absorb rejected military youth much to discontent of their ranks and files as was evident absorbing erstwhile emergency commissioned officers (ECOs) and short service commissioned officers (SSCOs) in our times. While some may get absorbed in CPOs and private sectors like banks and industry, the left overs trained in handling weapons and explosives would be available to get absorbed in adventurous Robin Hood and anti-national activities like extortions, kidnappings, sabotage, espionage and subversion.

The commitment of the Tour of Duties (TOD) scheme soldiers will be zero, as I guess. It takes years for a soldier to gain full knowledge in handling his weapon, equipment and using field craft to his advantage. For soldiers deployed on border and insurgency environment time taken decidedly would be much more.

When our neighbours have dedicated full time armies, how do our leaders expect to match up to these regular soldiers of enemy countries with 4 years contract soldiers, notwithstanding the fact that out of 4 years contractual period, while one year goes in recruitment training and 9 months on annual/casual leaves, not counting the period spent on traveling or sickness leaving just about 2 years’ service in the unit that may lead to chaotic situations in warlike situation and poor performance in operational areas, unless, the aim is to prepare politically motivated set up to counter any anti-establishment activities!

Another point that I observed during my 4 years tenure in the Assam Rifles (Jun 1986-Jun 1990) was that the cadre officers were very critical of the ECOs and the SSCOs joining the force carrying their military service counting towards their seniority, thus putting cadre officers to great disadvantage. Similar issues would crop up when these military personnel are absorbed in CPOs and other government services. The issue becomes complex affecting morale, motivation and effectiveness of CPOs who in heart feel the reject military manpower joining them. If we reverse the process, will armed forces be happy to absorb rejected constables of the CPOs in their units as that would degrade their combat effectiveness.

Youths trained in handling arms, ammunition, explosives and use of field crafts after military engagement with soaring unemployment and no jobs, would create educated terrorists, criminals, drug smugglers and all sorts of anti-national elements (ANEs) very harmful to society. I can't understand the cost benefit analysis of training a soldier for 4 years then leaving him as unemployed well trained youth in arms and explosives to kill and danger our otherwise volatile society polarized over religious, caste and political issues.

In my Battalion, during my service 9 ECOs, 5 SSCOs were commissioned during 1963-65. Out of whole lot, only 2 got regular commission became Lt Col/Col and rest were rejected. Only one ECO got into IPS and became Spec DG Police in Himachal cadre, 2 got into ITBP/ BSF/CISF & one rose to IG level and 1 to Comdt. 2-3 were absorbed as bank security officer and rest after being military officers, joined as Inspectors in the Assam Rifles/SSF/ CISF. Similar thing would happen to 75% of the youths after their 4 years contractual service in the armed forces would be over. And we have Pakistan & China with well trained professional armed forces as our adversaries. We are NOT Israel.

Frankly speaking, MOD/ the armed forces seem to have gone nuts!

In the recent past, we have seen the dismal performance of the Chinese soldiers in Dokhlam (Ladakh) where they could not even withstand the harsh winters, leave alone their fighting capabilities in that terrain. Now, the whole world is witnessing similar poor performance of the Russian soldiers in Ukraine. It is believed both the counties with the largest armies have adopted TOD concept that has diluted their combat effectiveness.

Well it could be appreciated for a country like Israel that has limited population of 89 lakhs, small area of 22145 sqkm, surrounded by clockwise from north with hostile neighbours Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt and not so far off Turkey, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, yet maintaining armed forces with strength of 1.70 lakhs. The education and motivation level of entire Israeli population is very high, there is no unemployment and the mobilization of the armed forces is fastest due to small compactness of the country and good means of communication. With our size of the country, population, education, motivation, unemployment, poverty and disunity and polarization on religious and political grounds, sadly, we are a big miss match to fight on two fronts with sizes of the armed forces of the Pakistan and China besides tackling insurgency spread in the vast parts of the country.

While the Government of India and the military’s top brass seem so concerned with reducing the Armed Forces’ pension bill that they are overlooking a few fundamentals of soldiers, soldiering, group cohesiveness, combat effectiveness and safeguarding our values of Naam, Namak and Nishan so very essential fighting superior professional enemies on our both fronts and the Indian Ocean.]

The major issue worrying the youth protesting violently against the scheme is of those all who were selected for the enrolment in the armed forces during the Covid period but could not join the training as there was freeze on recruitment. Many would be overage, hence there is uncertainty and country wide violence. Also, the present government as hitherto before, made lofty unfulfilled schemes like remitting Rs 15 lakhs to economically weaker section (EWS) of society or providing them with houses.

How I wish the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was appointed to advise GOI and the three services headquarters to dwell on the Agnipath concept over issues of saving some crores of rupees, political vote bank necessities and national security. Sadly, the central government rather than appointing CDS as military necessity appointed late Gen Rawat as the political one. The last week’s news has made retired Lt Gens to forward their CVs & stand in queue for the CDS interview. With such bizarre actions, our national security indeed is compromised.

There is rampart unemployment social upheavals in our country over communal divide and trained unemployed manpower in handling weapons, explosive, ground & field crafts, the discharged youth after 4 years contract service would be ideal to breed new brand of criminals and anti-national elements (ANEs) adversely compromising our national security. There are widespread protests and violent agitations by the youth and their families all over the country over the implementation of this scheme and even the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired it in its Hindi service the violence gripping the nation in boycotting the Agnipath scheme’s implementation. Its time let us nib the evil it in the bud as patriotic citizens and resort to existing recruitment and put Agnipath in cold storage.

On the lighter side, my wife having seen military life for 28 years asked me the strength of the Indian Railways (12.5 lakhs), all the CPOs/PMF which is around 10 lakhs not including various state police units (BSF 2.55 lakhs, CRPF 3 lakhs, SSB 1 lakh, CISF1.63 lakhs, ITBP.9 lakh and Assam Rifles .66 lakh). She enquired from me if the Indian Railways and all the CPOs introduced scheme likes of Agnipath concept, will armed forces absorb their 75% rejects every year? I screamed NO, NO… may be perhaps over my dead body! Let Agnipath NOT become AGNI- PATH…!

And a military veteran friend on the lighter side has written, ‘If Agnipath is such an excellent scheme, why NOT have one for the IAS, the IPS, the Indian Railways and the politicians too’.

JARRA SOCHIYE..!! Jai Hind…!!!