Army Chief asks for CBI inquiry against serving General

New Delhi: The Army Chief, already in a full-blown battle with the government, appears to have further aggravated the situation by asking the CBI to investigate corruption charges against a serving General, one who is second in line to replace him when he retires at the end of May.

General VK Singh wrote to the CBI yesterday, asking for an inquiry into allegations by a Member of Parliament from Bengal against Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag. The MP, Ambika Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, had written nearly 10 months ago to General Singh, alleging corruption in the purchase of defence equipment on Lt General Suhag's watch when he (then a Major General) was in charge of the Special Frontier Force in Chakrata near Nanital. The Lt General is currently the head of the 3 Corps in Dimapur, Nagaland.

Sources in the government say that by writing to the CBI directly, the Army Chief has breached protocol. They also say that General Singh's decision to act on the letter now, when his discord with the Defence Ministry has taken on unprecedented dimensions, proves he is out to embarrass the government. Defence Minister AK Antony said today that the CBI inquiry has been commissioned.

Earlier this week, General Singh delivered two storms that have thundered through Parliament. First, he said that he had been offered a bribe of 14 crores in 2010 to approve the purchase of "sub-standard" trucks for the Army. Then, a confidential letter written by him to the Prime Minister was leaked yesterday. The General warns of the obsolete equipment that the Army is forced to use, adding that this puts the country's security at risk. Politicians suggested the chief was to blame for the leak; some, like Lalu Prasad Yadav, asked for his immediate removal. The Defence Minister said that the leak amounts to a breach of national security. A statement from the Army Chief today says he is outraged by allegations that he is behind the leak. "This is an outrage! Official communication with the PM, RM (Raksha Mantri) or anybody for that matter with the COAS (Chief of Army Staff) is privileged information. The leaking of the letter should be treated as high treason. This cynical approach to tar my reputation has to stop. The source of the leak has to be found and dealt with ruthlessly," said the Army Chief today via a mailed statement.

Opposition leaders have said they support the government on the understanding that any controversies around the country's security or the Army chief are sensitive and must not be reduced to an acrimonious and public debate. But they also stress that the three matters involving the Army chief which have seized the national centrestage this week point to systematic procurement problems for the Army that they say must be addressed and cleansed. Military experts and former army chiefs have referred to the worrying conspiracy of silence over corruption in purchasing equipment for the Army. And many stress that General Singh has at different points through his tenure raised the exigent need for better equipment for his troops
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Factional-feud-rages-again-Gen-VK-Singh-issues-show-cause-notice-to-Lt-Gen-Suhag/articleshow/13421215.cms