MILITARY IZZAT TO BE RESTORED - Gp Capt AG Bewoor
- Group Capt A G Bewoor VM(G)
- 14 hours ago
- 7 min read
Editor's Note
Ref. article by Admiral Arun Prakash dt 9 Jan 2026 published by Tribune India on above subject available for reading on link below :
This article brings great clarity to the complex issues and highlights the intricately linked vested interests and priorities of politicians, bureaucrats and policemen that have ensured the existence of civil - military gap and continuation of lowered military precedence and status very often by using the bogey of ' military coup ' for past 78 years ! What Gp Capt AG Bewoor has articulated in the MVI piece below is the required follow up action and way forward to address these issues of the civil- military power equation clearly articulated by Admiral Arun Prakash.
All that Gp Capt Bewoor is saying is that the "Fauji Izzat " must be " Restored " .There should be no doubts in anybody's mind that if the 'izzat of faujis" continues to be downgraded the same fate will be met by the country sooner than later !
Editor, MVI
1. Admiral Arun Prakash who has been Chief of Naval Staff wrote an article which was published by the Tribune in January 2026. He urged the Govt to bridge the gap between the Armed Forces officers and Other Ranks as a group and all Civil servants as the other group. He suggested that the forthcoming 8th Pay Commission was the best opportunity to do this. The admiral writes eloquently and from the heart with deep affection for both India and her Armed Forces. He has seen this inequality from very close and also the neglect demonstrated by the Neta – Babu combination towards the Fauji. My article is a humble follow up on that article. In the first instance it must be very clearly understood that serving military hierarchy is disallowed to speak on public platforms without specific permission from MOD. What does MOD mean, RM, Def Secy, all other Babus of MOD.
The Babus also do not speak in public about these matters, they are very discreet, and that is a good thing for them. Should they become voluble on TV and in print media, the veterans would attack them. So what is the reason that this chasm between the Faujis and Civilians, both being Central Government employees is never a matter for discussion on our TV channels and in podcasts? This deep, and apparently unbridgeable gap must remain forever? Is this not a great threat to the unity and security of India and her 1,473,965,437 men and women as per today’s figures? The diktat that India’s military must always be under the control of civilian power has been corrupted to mean that Indian Armed Forces must be constantly subservient to the politico-bureaucrat combination. Shameful.
2. TV channels are also subservient to the Babus who belong to the Min of Information. They are comrades of Babus of MOD. Tomorrow they will change places. Some will go to Fisheries and Packed Foods and the bureaucrats from say Steel & Mines will become Addl Secy in MOD. That is how it is in India, because that is how it was in British India. What then is an avenue that can be explored to bring these truths onto centre stage and let Indians be exposed and educated on this perfidy of more than 75 years? A question that must occur to all of us is that, why do not the Smita Prakashs, Arnabs, Rajdeeps and Rajat Sharmas, to name a few, not take up this matter as a factor that hurts India’s safety and integrity? Surely, a deep split with friction between the Babus and Netas on one side and the Fauji leaders on the other, is dangerous for India, is it not? Then why do these mighty TV moguls, with millions of followers shy away? Should not we have such discussions where these truths as stated by Adm Prakash, are made known to Indian viewers? Has Rajat Sharma ever put a Fauji officer in his ‘adalat’ and seek answers to this vexing matter? No. Even nonmilitary analysts and nonmilitary defence experts hold back on this subject.
Worse, the Opposition in Parliament, who are so terribly frightened of our Constitution being eroded, has never taken up this matter. That is because all Netas, this party or that, subscribe to this theory of civilian control over the military which must actually be applied as subservience of the Military to the Civilians. And how best to do it? Keep the salaries and allowances of the military personnel, from Officer to Jawan, always a peg or two lower than that of the Civilian cadres of equal status. That way the civilian will always be considered senior to the military man or woman. Why so? Because the seniority and precedence in India’s Rules of Business is determined by salaries not by designation. With NFU, a Deputy Secy who is equal to a Colonel, but now gets the salary of a Jt Secy under NFU, become equal to a Major General. So he presides over meetings where Brigadiers and other Major general are attending. What a clever and nasty trick is it not? So, what now?
3. The TV moguls will always hesitate and hum & haw, about taking up this inequality issue. But they must keep the other security and integrity debates about India alive otherwise they will be branded anti-national and unconcerned. We have so many fauji experts who adorn these TV shows. Most are very composed and articulate. Others are very loud and froth with anger, most disconcerting. Without these Fauji experts the TV channels cannot keep their debates on Iran, J&K, terrorism, Hormuz, CDS, Theatres, Rafale, Tejas LCA, Siachen, East Ladhak etc going. Our fauji debaters are very important for these TV channels / managers / anchors. One way to force these TV guys to take up this matter of Military subservience to Civil authority is to exit their inconsequential shows on such subjects that matters little. Can our experts do that? Certainly, they can. And one hopes they will take up this challenge for the izzat of the Armed Forces. The fauji being discredited by the politic-babu combine has to be unmasked in public without mincing words. The heavens will not fall and the Indian edifice will not collapse if these truths are broadcast every evening across India. As directly pointed to by Admiral Prakash, this inequality and stifling stranglehold that civil powers have on the Armed Forces, has to be broken and not allowed to be resurrected. The bogey of the military taking over in a coup if brought at par with the MOD is a lie that stands shredded again and again. The demonstrated and consistent loyalty of the Indian Fauji over the last 78 years, under very trying conditions, is abundant proof that the Indian military leadership is loath to do a coup. Let me not dwell on this foolish issue any more. The incisiveness with which the Babu cadres wish to keep the military under their thumbs is pathologically unsound. Because the Armed Forces train their cadets and officers so well, their loyalty to the Govt of India and our Constitution is assured. That truth is exploited by the babu -politico combination. The Neta is always worried about his Kursi, and the Babu ensures that the worry remains, thus maintaining the dependency of the Neta on the Babu. This truth needs to be reiterated again and again so Indians understand why this cosyness between these two groups.
4. The article in the Tribune is a 'clarion call' from someone who knows and has not forgotten. Those veterans and indeed serving officers who wield influence in the electronic media must get this matter widely discussed in the most polite and open manner. The correct veterans must tell the story as it is without displaying histrionics as do other participants. The aim is to get the equation straight without rancour and name calling. There are corporate giants who know about inter-se equations between different verticals of their organisations and they can give valuable suggestions, and I dare say such men and women understand the criticality of participating in such debates. Their suggestions will be invaluable. The aim is not to malign any group or persons but to resolve and remedy the ailment. That an ailment exists needs to be first accepted, only then can the remedy appear. The judiciary is the last people to go to. Recall how some High Court Judges from Guwahati misrepresented the rule of increase in pension at the age of 80 yrs.
5. The original article of January 2026 must be noted for its significance and urgency that is suggested. The misinformation campaign about how the Babu-Neta combination has the highest regard and concern for the faujis will persist. The Neta has the attn of the public for she has unlimited avenues to speak from. Sometimes I also wonder whether the fauji should lobby our lady Netas to get this sorted out. But most surely it is the military darlings of our TV channels who can do this trick.
They have the leverage to convince their paymaster to take up cudgels for us. This article is not to say that all Netas and Babus are averse to resolving this equality issue, but they are in such small numbers that they cannot influence the outcome. We need the support of these powerful TV lionesses / tigresses along with their male counterparts to help the Armed Forces get their justified position in the hierarchy and precedence, among the Central Govt servants of India. The Fauji is not asking for a higher position, we want what is our due, and the most opportune moment is the 8th Pay Commission. Military personnel must be full time members of the commission for all aspects and not just Armed Forces salaries. If Babus can calculate and decide what the Fauji should get; why cannot the Fauji be involved in calculating and deciding what the Babu should get? Once and for all lets clearly accept, the Armed Forces personnel are not a burden on India and the national exchequer. We Faujis do not empty the coffers of the Consolidated Fund of India, on the contrary we ensure that the Fund keeps increasing.
The Armed Forces do not serve to die for India, they serve to fight for India, and if they die while serving, it is an occupational hazard. Faujis are not fodder for the cannons that Babus and Netas wish to fire. The power of the electronic media is where we faujis have to concentrate and get our honest story told to Indian women and men. I urge those who have the contacts in this powerful platform to utilise it effectively and positively for the benefit and izzat of the officers, soldiers and families of Indian Armed Forces.
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