Former Army Chief General VN Sharma (Rated) has made a shocking revelation that the Directorate of Military Operations had advised the then Army Chief General as a Vaidya that the Indian Army should not be involved in any operation to get Journal Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters out of the Golden Temple as it was a political step.
General VN Sharma made this statement during an interview on a YouTube channel-Lot Consilium Foundation to Major General Nilendra Kumar, a former judge of a former judge, a former judge. The interview was uploaded on the channel a day earlier on 5 June 41st anniversary of Operation Blue Star And a large number of thoughts and comments have arisen.
95 -year -old General VN Sharma was serving as Additional Director General Military Operations (ADGMO) at the Directorate of Military Operations (MO) at the time of launching OP Blue Star. Lieutenant General CN Soman was the then Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), while Major General (LTT Jean) was other Additional Director General Military Operations in the Directorate of VK Nair. Both, Somna and Nair died several years ago.
General Sharma says in the interview that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted the Army to operate inside the Golden Temple as the Punjab Police refused to do so. “Arun Vaidya was called to the Prime Minister’s office and was told that Bhindranwale was to be removed as he was getting too big for his shoes, he does not listen to anyone, so he takes the army in. General Vaidya said,” General Sharma remembers.
He says that the army chief then reached the MO Directorate and spoke to the DGMO and two ADGMOs, which is about the work to be done. “We suggested them that this was not the right employment of the Indian Army. We explained that the Indian Army cannot be used by any government for political purposes according to the Constitution,” said General Sharma.
He says that the then PM wanted the army to do this work as the police refused. “We told General Vaidya that it was not politically expedient because we could not use the army for political purposes. They did a political stunt to keep Bhindranwale there and now she was doing another political stunt to remove them to remove them using the army,” General Sharma said in the interview. General Sharma said that the Chief of the Army, General Vaidya, was asked to the officials of my three senior MO Directorates that some other forces like BSF, CRPF should be used and the army should not intervene.
“He said that he is a boss and when the boss asks you to jump to jump. We said no. You are a constitutional authority, the head of the army, you have to ensure that the constitution has not been violated. An option is to go to the Supreme Court and ask whether it is legal or not. He said what you expect to do it.
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The former chief of the former army then says that General Vaidya went back to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and described him as the approach of the MO Directorate. He said that the PM then decided to contact the Sundarji Commander Lieutenant General of Western Army, so that he was mainly reluctant.
He said, “Vaidya’s office asked Sundarji to meet the Prime Minister. He (Vaidya) came back to the MO Directorate and said that it has happened. We said that Sir ‘waiver cars’ you have no business to allow the army commander to go directly to the Prime Minister,” he said.
General Sharma said that the MO Directorate was in touch with the employees of the Prime Minister’s Office and it was found that General Sundarji was asked to perform the operation. “When he (Sundarji) came out from there, we took him down and said that you can like to step in the Mo. and discuss the issue with us. He said that I am not interested in you guys, I have got my orders and I am going to do it,” General Sharma said.
The former army chief further said that General Sundarji’s decision to use the 9 Infantry Division in Meerut was by General Sundarji and not the MO Directorate. He said that the first choice of Sundarji was to contact the GOC 15 Division (Major General Jamwal) to work, but he refused. “Sundarji asked him to produce a battalion of the infantry and some support some tanks or some on this job, he refused. He said it was a political situation and not to intervene for the army,” said General Sharma. He says that General Sundarji then chose 9 divisions commanded by Major General KS Brar and one of the reasons for this was that he wanted Sikhs to operate Operation Blue Star and participate in real action on the ground.
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During the interview, General Sharma also moves forward on the ethos of Indian Army training and follows a valid command. “Indian Army officers have to be an independent officer during the command. Do not do this if you find something wrong. It is not a question of disobedience of orders. It is a question of following orders despite their better feelings, because they are yes male and they want their promotion,” he said.
General VN Sharma’s comment is bound to create a stir and has never been publicly opposed to the use of the army opposing the MO Directorate aspect.
