New Delhi:
Even as the Army struggles to deal with the issue of when its chief V K Singh should retire, a new complication has arisen over who should succeed him.
Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, the top contender for the post of the next Army chief, is facing a new challenge in his journey to the top. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has taken cognizance of a decade-old alleged fake encounter case involving him. A court notice has been sent to the Defence Ministry, the Jammu and Kashmir government and senior police officials in Anantnag. Sources in the Defence Ministry question the timing of the new developments since they could impact his chances to become the Army's top man.
The case dates back to March 2001, when a 60-year-old man was killed in an encounter by the Army on the outskirts of Anantnag in Kashmir. Lieutenant General Singh, who is the Eastern Army Commander, was then a Brigadier heading the 1 Sector Rashtriya Rifles headquartered in Anantnag. He was injured in the encounter and was given a gallantry medal. A colonel and another jawan were killed too.
While the Army claimed that the man who was killed was a wanted foreign militant. In court, however, his family has argued that Abdullah Bhat was a daily wage earner. Mr Bhat's relatives say that neither the police nor the Army has given them a proper hearing over the past decade. They want Mr Bhat's body to be exhumed for DNA tests. The petitioners have also sought a reinvestigation. The High Court has sought replies from the Ministry of Defence and the state government. The case will come up come up for hearing on February 13, but its repercussions may extend well beyond.
The current chief, General V K Singh, has over the last few months, asked the Government to accept that he was born in 1951 and not 1950. Both dates are cited on different records held by the Army. The government has so far said that though it does not question the General's claims, the documents that it must refer to in a case like this declare 1950 as his year of birth. The government plans for the General to retire by the end of May. That would make Lieutenant General Bikram Singh the Army's senior-most officer. If the court case impedes upon his promotion to Army chief, next in line is Lt. General KT Parnaik, the Northern Army Commander.