THE SSC, Higher Secondary or 12th Standard board certificates serve as flawless record, substantiating one’s date of birth (DOB) in India. The Supreme Court, too, has ruled so in most clear-cut terms. Add birth certificate to it and the proof is final, and binding. Not so for the civilian Babus of Ministry of Defence or the Defence Minster himself, who are refusing to accept 10th May, 1951, listed as the date of birth of Indian Army Chief Gen VK Singh in both these certificates as correct. The big question is why?

Gen V K Singh entered Birla Public School with his date of birth (DOB) showing as 10th May, 1951. His matriculation certificate also carries the same date. The date change controversy with his new date of birth being 10 May 1950 as claimed by MOD, originated with one of his teachers, BS Bhatnagar filling this wrong date in his NDA examination form. At that time the General was just 15 years old, a minor. When he passed the NDA exam, the anomaly between the forms filled by Bhatnagar and his matriculation certificate was noticed by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC). This anomaly was rectified and the right DOB of 10 May 1951 showed up in his NDA graduation and Indian Military Academy entry records.

However clerical oversight ensured that even after he entered the IMA, the covering envelope (from the NDA) mentioned 1950 as his DOB. It is this covering envelope having no legal sanctity that Gen V K Singh’s detractors are using to put his DOB into question. Point to be noted is that in every subsequent document, barring the army list, dished out by the military secretary branch, the right DOB 10th May, 1951 appears.

It is an acknowledged fact in 1.13 million strong Indian Army that General VK Singh, an honest and upright soldier, has in his two years tenure restored the reputation of the army after the much talked about Adarsh Society fraud that involved previous Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and the Sukhna Scam involving the two biggies - the duo of General Avdesh Prakash and General Rath. Both of them are close cronies of Gen Deepak Kapoor. They have since been court-martialled.

No less a person then Capt Amrinder Singh, current Congress party chief and ex Chief Minister of Punjab has written a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh backing the integrity of General VK Singh and calling the General, a soldiers’ General. Amrinder Singh in his letter has clearly stated that politics has been played at the highest level in order to place certain individuals in position to be future chiefs. UPA Government having allowed this issue to linger on for full one year, has taken heavy toll on the morale of the army. The army stands divided in two camps -those wanting Gen VK Singh to continue and others who are against. Truly a sad happening for a staunchly apolitical army, totally loyal to the country.

Right from the time an officer enters the training academy till he retires and even after, all records are maintained by the Adjutant General (AG) branch. The AG branch clearly puts Gen Singh’s age as 10 May 1951.

It may also be pointed out that Gen Singh rose to the rank of Lt Gen after appearing before several promotion boards – all of which accepted his 10th May 1951 date of birth. The boards which cleared his promotion from brigadier to major-general to lieutenant general were endorsed by the prime minister himself.

It is in the Military Secretary Branch, responsible for the promotions and postings that the date of birth of Gen VK Singh has been erroneously listed as 10 May 1950. Custodian authenticity of records is AG branch’s responsibility and all it should have done was to consult the AG Branch of the same army headquarters and correct the date of birth .There was no reason for this controversy.

The moot point is that vested interests inside and outside the country, have been desperately trying to ease Army Chief, Gen VK Singh. The idea is to supplant him with a convenient and pliable officer. Cases in point are; it was General VK Singh who had refused the induction of the army against the Naxals, despite Home Minister Chidambaram wanting it. The recent demand of J&K State CM Omar Abdullah to remove AFSPA from certain districts of J&K, which even the PMO had agreed, it was Gen VK Singh who opposed the move and carried the day through.

India has to buy 32 billion dollars worth of arms from abroad in the near future. It has been said in media that 10 percent of all these arms purchase money goes to the coffers of Swiss Bank for the party in power to fight the next elections. Needless to say, an honest and upright Chief of Army Staff could be a hurdle to the powers.

Gen VK Singh took over as COAS when the Army was be-devilled by scams, and he took it upon himself to arrest this decline in its image. This is one reason why his opposition has been building. One senior officer, who stands to benefit the most, if Singh is made to retire a year earlier, is said to be blatantly playing the sectarian card and was said to be lobbying indirectly with the law ministry. Lo and behold the ministry made a sudden volte face and threw its weight behind the 1950 birth date.

Currently the Civil Military relations in India are at its worst. In the name of Civilian Government control over Army it is the bureaucrats who are ruling the roost with no accountability. In the words of The Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajinder Sachhar, the Congress led UPA government is dealing with Army in an ungainly manner. They have belittled the Army Chief as if they are dealing with a head clerk. A Government already neck deep in scams now dealing with Army in a cavalier manner is not a good sign.  If General VK Singh goes to Supreme Court, which he should with his case, he is bound to win. However this will be a very bad blot to the political class of India.