Saturday, September 1, 2018

AWARDS & REWARDS TO POLICEMEN – A REALITY CHECK



AWARDS & REWARDS TO POLICEMEN – A REALITY CHECK
By
Maj Gen VK Singh

A few months ago, the newspapers carried a report about the arrest of an ex-soldier who was found carrying ‘sensitive’ military documents which he intended to hand over to his ISI handler. The documents found in his possession were two training manuals from the Bengal Engineering Group at Roorkee. He was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police under the Official Secrets Act. More recently, the Police in Bihar caught an ex soldier, who they claim was spying for the ISI. He had with him ‘highly sensitive’ documents such as maps of cantonments in Danapur and Secunderabad.  Since the documents were defence related, both face a fourteen year prison term if convicted.

            The first news item was accompanied by a photograph showing the arrested man flanked by two pot bellied cops with wide grins. One would imagine that their glee was justified – after all they had caught a spy. Perhaps they were looking forward to the celebration they would have in the evening, with chicken tikka and a bottle of whisky. With a fat reward from the department – it is reported to be rupees three lacs for every spy they catch – and maybe even a promotion, a celebration was definitely called for.

            Training manuals are issued to trainees in all military training establishments. The one found in the possession of the first ex-soldier pertained to ‘combat engineering’. In all likelihood, it dealt with drills for laying and removing mines, constructing obstacles, carrying out demolitions, manning a water point or some such activity.  The ‘sensitive’ information in these manuals would be who would be carrying the pick axe, or laying out the tape, or driving the nails. Copies of such manuals can be found with the raddi wala in every military station which has a training establishment, since most students just throw them away when the course ends. As for the second case, Danapur and Secunderabad do not have any operational formations. All that are located there are training centres. Would the ISI be interested in training manuals or maps of cantonments where training centres are located?
           
Today, students from friendly foreign countries are trained in almost all major military training establishments in India. They are given copies of the training manuals, like the Indian students. Can they still be treated as classified? Maps of every town are available not only in book shops but can be downloaded from Encarta and Google. Is it not time the Police was let into the secret?

Of course, the ex soldiers had no business carrying the training manuals or maps and deserve to be punished. But do they deserve to be labelled as spies? Are the documents so sensitive that their disclosure to an enemy country will jeopardise national security? Is this not another example of the obsession with secrecy that seems to have pervaded our psyche? Is there a chance that the monetary reward and promotion spurs our policemen to create spies if they can’t find one? Last year it was reported that the Police Commissioner of Delhi had reduced the award for apprehending terrorists from 7.5 to 1.5 lacs. The decision has caused a lot of heart burn in the Special Cell.  The killing of ACP Rajbir Singh a few months ago had put the Special Cell in the news. Is it not time that the activities of this elite group be reviewed? Is there a need to give them cash awards, in addition to promotions and gallantry awards? After all, they are only doing their duty. Soldiers who fight and kill, or get killed by, terrorists in J&K do not get anything. Then why should the Police be treated differently?

In reply to a recent RTI application, the Special Cell of Delhi Police was asked for information in respect of the monetary awards, gallantry awards and out of turn promotions given to personnel of the Special Cell for the last eight years. They gave the details of gallantry awards and out of turn promotions but refused to give details of monetary awards on the ground that it will endanger the life or physical safety of those police personnel who have arrested and/or neutralised hard core criminals and terrorists.’ Of course, this argument is laughable.  Logically, gallantry awards and out of turn promotions are given to police personnel who neutralise the most dreaded criminals or terrorists and monetary awards are given for acts of lesser importance. Hence, if the lives and physical safety of the concerned police personnel is endangered, this would apply to those who have been given gallantry awards and out of turn promotions, rather than those given monetary awards, in respect of whom information has been refused

The list shows 25 instances (mostly encounters) in which gallantry awards were given. In some cases 4-6 persons got an award for the same encounter. Some have been awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) or the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) as many as six times in eight years! I doubt if any police force in the World can match this performance. The gallantry awards carry a monthly gallantry allowance of Rs. 1500 for PPMG and Rs. 900 for PMG.

The list also reveals that there were 34 cases in which out of turn promotions were given, many involving 6-7 persons. Most of these cases were the same as those for which gallantry awards were given.  In almost every case, the ‘dreaded terrorist’ was eliminated/neutralised, after the police fired in self defence. There is not a single case of death or injury to the police personnel. Again, a record unmatched in the World. One wonders why these cops are not made part of the elite special forces of the Army or the NSG!

After the terrorist strike in Mumbai on 26/11, there was a wave of sympaty for the policemen who lost their lives. On 26th January 2009, when the  Government of India announced the gallantry wards for the year 2008, there were 11 Ashoka Chakras, six of them for policemen who died during the Mumbai terror attack.  In addition, there were 13 Kirti Chakras and 30 Shaurya Chakras. The Ashok Chakra is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. It is the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra awarded to armed forces personnel during war. These awards are similar to the Victoria Cross (UK), the US Medal of Honor (USA), the Legion of Honor (France) and the Cross of St. George (Russia).

The number of Ashoka Chakras awarded this year – eleven – is unprecedented. In the previous year, there was only one. Often, there is no award. The large number of awards this year has raised many questions. By giving away so many awards in a single year, are we not devaluing them? There is no doubt that most of the recipients lost their lives fighting terrorists. But should this alone qualify for the highest gallantry award?

The awards are given for the “most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice". It is important to distinguish courage from valour. There are many activities that require a high degree of courage, such as sky diving, bungee jumping or motor racing. But those who indulge in such sports cannot be termed valorous or gallant, because the most important element – the enemy or the adversary – is missing. One cannot fight a battle if there is no enemy. And unless there is an enemy, his actions, however, courageous, cannot be termed gallant.  This distinction seems to have been missed while considering the awards in 2009. Perhaps the gentlemen (read bureaucrats) who decided the awards had never heard of the battles of Saragarhi or Rezangla. If they had, they would have understood the meaning of gallantry.

The battle of Saragarhi was fought in 1897 in the North West Frontier, when a post held by 21 Sikhs of the 4th Battalion (then 36th Sikhs) of the Sikh Regiment was attacked by about 10,000 tribesmen. All 21 died fighting, refusing to surrender.  The battle of Rezangla was fought in 1962, when the Chinese attacked a post held by a company of 13 Kumaon in Chushul. All 114 men, mostly Ahirs from the Ahirawal region (now in Haryana), died in the battle. Both these battles are examples of valour in the face of the enemy. By any yard stick, each of these men deserved the Victoria Cross or the Param Vir Chakra. For Saragarhi, each one was given the Indian Order of Merit, since Indian soldiers were then not eligible for the VC. In Rezangla, only one PVC was awarded, to Major Shaitan Singh.

Thousands of Indian soldiers have died in battle since Independence. The number of PVCs awarded during the last 60 years gives an indication of the exclusiveness of the award. In 1947-48, in a campaign lasting more than a year, only five PVCs were awarded. In the Sino-Indian Conflict in 1962, there were only three. In the 1965 war with Pakistan, there were just two. In the 1971 war with Pakistan, there were four. In addition, one was awarded in Siachen, one in UN Operations and four for Kargil in 1999. In other words, only 20 PVCs have been awarded in more than 60 years, during which the Indian Army fought four major wars.

One reason for the dilution of the civilian gallantry wards is the lack of multi-level screening that takes place in the case of military awards. A very small percentage of the total number who are recommended ultimately get the awards, due to the rigorous screening process at various formation headquarters. In the Mumbai terrorist attack, the Police Commissioner of Mumbai recommended no less than 14 policemen for the Ashoka Chakra! If these recommendations had been properly screened, setting aside political considerations, the number of Ashoka Chakras would not have been so large. For the Padma series of awards, extraneous factors such regionalism, media hype and politics are perhaps unavoidable, but it is important that they should not be allowed to play a part when deciding gallantry awards. Unless this is done, these awards will end up being devalued, as has happened in 2009.


10 Sep 2009


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