Review Article 1
War
Despatches 1971*
Brigadier
BS Mehta
Introduction
Literature
on war can be written from many perspectives, it can be from the top looking on how the
events unfolded or it can be across the unfolding events and also from the
ground upwards on how those who were part of the events received their orders,
carried out the tasks assigned, and their visualisation of being part of an
action. Further, it can be written in the form of individual accounts by senior
officers or by strategic analysts, historians, and journalists. Finally, it can
be written by either of the parties involved or by external independent
observers. Each account in its own way adds to the literature of the conflict
and contributes in understanding of the events and drawing suitable lessons.
Most books on war are individual
accounts of soldiers or their units, describing sacrifice and glory. This book
is the first collective war experience of young officers of not only the combat
arms leading men in battle but also the support and logistic services like the
Engineers, Signals, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Ordinance and
Supply, whose roles are equally important.
The
Authors
‘War
Despatches’ edited by Brigadier BS Mehta (Retd) is unique in many ways. It’s
written by a group of officers from the 28 NDA Course. They belonged to various
arms and services with the respective services.
At the time of the war, they were all young officers serving in battalions at
the cutting edge of combat or in formation headquarters which were deeply
involved in the conflict. Hence, the experiences they have written about are at
the ‘tactical level’ and mostly at company and battalion level but their
experiences have been recounted with the wisdom of hindsight and the maturity
of their experiences 50 years after the event.
The 28th NDA batch commissioned on 15
June 1966 set a new trend for all other NDA batches by publishing ‘War
Despatches 1971’ while the country celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Victory in
1971 war with Pakistan. The book contains the first-hand battle experiences of
batchmates from different branches of the three Services coming together on a
common veteran’s platform after six decades of joint training at NDA.
Having passed out of the Indian Military
Academy (and other academies) in June 1966, they joined their units soon after
the 1965 war with Pakistan and later in their services
would have been Battalion Commanders (and equivalent) during Operation Pawan
and Operation Chequerboard and would have been in various appointments
including Brigade Commanders while combating insurgency in both J&K and the
NE and as Divisional Commanders during Operation Vijay. In fact, both Major
General VS Budhwar, who was commanding 3 Infantry Division, and Major General
(later Lieutenant General) Mohinder Puri, who commanded 8 Mountain Division,
were part of this course. Subsequently, many from this course went on to become
Lieutenant Generals, including Lieutenant General Arvind Sharma who retired as
an Army Commander. Hence, their accounts are enhanced by their experience in service.
About
The Book
In
‘Burinda Bash’; Brigadier Mehta writes how after the destruction of Pakistan’s
3 (Independent) Armoured Squadron at Garibpur on 21 November 1971, the ‘window
of opportunity’ for capture of Dacca was opened but was ‘not exploited’. This
is the epic battle in which a Squadron of 45 Cavalry destroyed fifteen
Pakistani Chafee tanks with their PT-76. The Battle of Burinda took place a few
days later and has been described in great detail. ‘It was a symbol of
Pakistan’s gumption to fight against heavy odds, not witnessed elsewhere in
East Pakistan’. Balram Mehta was a tank troop leader supporting 4 SIKH who
suffered 62 casualties including fourteen killed. He quotes General Jacob an
unimpeachable source in his “indictment of the quality of higher-level
planning, execution and leadership”.
Lieutenant General RSK Kapur writes
about the personality of Lieutenant General Sagat Singh who as General Officer
Commanding (GOC) 17 Mountain Division ‘had taught the Chinese a lesson of their
lives’. After carrying out a task for which he had ‘worked tirelessly’ he
recalls General Sagat asking his surprised Military Attache to call his ‘son’
and then giving him a tight hug and saying ‘Well done, son’. He calls him ‘the
greatest General he ever served with’ and this association ‘taught him some
essential character qualities.’
Major General Vinod Budhwar talks about
his accompanying a Mukti Bhaini patrol to destroy a bridge in East Pakistan and
the difficulties encountered and the manner in which they carried out
improvisations to execute the mission. Brigadier Sukhdev Singh writes about the
fog of war where a bridge at Jaintiapur had been captured by the Mukti Bhaini
but they failed to hold on to it as they got carried away in their celebrations
and began ‘looting the bazaar’ and the officer tasked for the demolition went
missing for two days before he finally returned. He also writes about the
‘Khustia Episode’, “the attack was a failure. The entire 4 Mountain Division
then concentrated on one axis”.
Brigadier Shimi Kanbargimath gives an
insight into the human aspects through selected excerpts of letters to his
wife. He had been moved to East Pakistan from the Commando Wing in Belgaum
where he was an instructor. He recalls taking a Sikh officer to a hospital in
Dhaka after the surrender and how a Pakistani nurse asked if it was safe for
her to attend to the Sikh officer, who had a dental issue. She was nervous
because, “They had been told in schools and at home to stay away from Sikh
men”. It reveals the psyche created amongst the people.
Air Commodore Arun Karandikar writes
about Kilo Squadron a ‘clandestine unit’ formed with a few Pakistani Air Force
pilots who escaped from East Pakistan with the refugees. He also recalls Group
Captain (later Air Vice Marshal) Chandan Singh a ‘dynamic go-getter’ and how he
made him “undertake an urgent flight in a Dakota alone. He ended up flying 49
sorties including five single sorties in fourteen days”.
In ‘The Battlefield Blues’, Brigadier
Mehta covers the battle of Garibpur including the bravery of Major ‘Chiefy’
Narag, the Squadron Commander of 45 Cavalry who was destined ‘to play his
role’, and made the supreme sacrifice and was later awarded the Maha Vir Chakra
(MVC). On completion of his orders when he asked his Troop Leaders if they had
any questions, a newly promoted JCO asked, “Who will give the orders to open fire”.
Used to formation level exercises reality had now hit, the war had started. It
turned out to be an exceptional and rare tank battle. The early victory served
as a trumpet call.
Major Pradeep Sharma recalls being the
solitary Sapper having been heli dropped to the location of the advancing
Independent Squadron of 7 Light Cavalry to render engineer support. He single
handedly prodded the area in front for mines throwing out all the rules for
such procedures, thereafter, deciding that prodding was too tedious he moved on
the leading tank observing the area for tell-tale signs of mines and he even
removed explosives with his hands from a bridge that had been prepared for
demolition by the enemy, “just doing what you are trained for and able to do”.
Lieutenant General Arvind Sharma was a
Captain in a brigade headquarter which had moved from Nagaland. He gives an
insight into the personality of his Commander, Brigadier RCV Apte, the GOC
Major General (later General) KV Krishna Rao and Major (later General) Zia ur
Rehman of 8 East Bengal Regiment which was placed under the command of the
Brigade. He also talks of the manner in which he directed an air strike at
Maulvi Bazar on 08 December.
Brigadier Trigunesh Mukerjee was also a
Staff Officer as a Captain in a leading brigade and recalls dealing with
questions from the local Bengali population regarding their missing kin who had
been picked up by the Pakistani soldiers and were untraceable. He also talks of
the war correspondents and remembers the words of Melville DeMello, “if you
don’t love the army, you can never be a war correspondent”.
Part 2 of the book covers the Western
Front. Colonel Tarlochan Singh Kalra writes about the capture of a Post after
the cease fire by 2 SIKH in the Amritsar Sector and the praise given by the
Pakistani CO a few days later, “your men fought heroically in battle and were
definitely superior”. Lieutenant General PPS Bhandari writes about his
experience as Adjutant of 72 Armoured Regiment a new raising being bloodied in
battle and been awarded the ‘Battle Honour Chhamb’. This was also the battle in
which Deccan Horse lost Captain Daljinder Singh who ‘lived life king sized’,
Brigadier Gautam Tandon has captured his personality perfectly in a moving
tribute.
Captain SS Sethi covers the naval
operations in great detail. Being the navigating officer of a frontline ship,
he was hardly able to sleep during the twelve days. Wing Commander S
Balasubramanium describes an operational mission and states how the “attack was
the ultimate test for a fighter pilot”.
Lieutenant Colonel RC Chetri and Major
General Subash Bindra write about inventory management and ammunition supply in
war. While Major General CP Tewari recalls how “they issued supplies without
any indents” and Major (later Lieutenant General) Krishen Bhatia signing the
receipt on the back of a cigarette packet. Brigadier ML Jaisinghani writes
about the famous battle of Shakargarh where his artillery guns were supporting
3 SIKH LI and ‘brought down accurate fire to silence the enemy’.
Air Commodore Kurivilla gives out his
experience as a Prisoner of War including how Bhutto visited their camp in
November 1972 and said, “I want you to go home… and please return our prisoners
of war”. Lieutenant General Mohinder Puri was posted in 25 Infantry Division as
a Captain and describes the build up to the war as also the attack on Poonch
which the GOC Major General (later Lieutenant General) Kundan Singh had
anticipated and asked for additional troops. He sums up his account by saying,
“intelligence continues to remain a weak spot, though our acquisition
capabilities have vastly increased”.
Colonel KK Nanda was part of his
battalion 13 PUNJAB deployed in Ferozepur and describes leading a Patrol deep
into Pakistan and the capture of Southern portion of the Mamdot Bulge in great
detail. He says, “his achievement in the war has been the high point of his
life”. Brigadier Vijay Rai who was with 15 DOGRA gives out the role of his
battalion in capturing the Northern portion of the Bulge. While listing out
various ambiguities and shortcomings he concludes by saying, “all our
shortcomings got drowned in the celebrations”.
Colonel Mahendra Singh Joon was part of
3 GRENADIERS in the historic battle of Jarpal. This is where Major (later
Brigadier) Hoshiar Singh and Second Lieutenant Arun Kheterpal were awarded the
Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel (later
Lieutenant General) VP Airy was awarded the MVC for their gallant actions. He
recalls the seven enemy counter attacks and the handing over of the body of
Lieutenant Colonel Akram Raja with a citation ‘based on which he was awarded
Pakistan’s second highest gallantry award’. Major General PJS Sandhu was also
in this sector as a Staff Captain with 16 (Independent) Armoured Brigade and
recalls how Brigadier (later General) Vaidya “operated from his track group
throughout the war with just his haversack and never came back to his
Headquarters, that was the major reason for success of the operations by the
Brigade. He was always present at the point of decision”.
Conclusion
The
1971 war was a glorious victory in which all cogs of the wheel performed
admirably. It was no doubt a whole nation approach. While there is a lot of
literature covering various facets of the conflict, this remains a rare book as
while it is a narrative from the perspective of young officers it is a
reflection of their wisdom and experience after many years in Service shedding
light on the significant aspects important to win a war. Their points of view
were those of young officers taking orders and passing on orders while being in
the thick of action themselves.
Authored by those who fought the war
with grit and courage in the face of adversity, this is a lucid recount of
their triumphs and challenges. The book will serve as an inspiration for the
next generations of warriors due to the unique insight it has given into a very
important chapter of India’s military history. There is no doubt that we as a
nation need to salute all those who contributed to the victory and particularly
those who made the supreme sacrifice.
Finally, the book serves as an important
reminder of the contribution made by the defence forces in nation building. The
book records how as young Troop Leaders, Pilots, Sailors contributed to achieve
victory to finally shed the ‘historical baggage of a military defeat’ and
emerge as a regional power.
Major General Jagatbir Singh, VSM
(Retd)
*War
Despatch 1971.
Edited by Brigadier BS Mehta; (Noida: Occam (An imprint of BluOne Ink) October
2022); Pages: 368; Price: 899; ISBN-13: 978-9392209123
Journal of the United Service Institution
of India, Vol. CLIII, No. 633,
July-September 2023.
Review Article 2
ARMOUR
‘71*
Cavalry
Officers Association
Introduction
The Indian
Armoured Corps has fought and ensured victory in all major conflicts in
post-Independence. It has operated effectively in diverse terrain and climatic
conditions ranging from the high mountains in Zojila (1948) and Chushul (1962),
in developed terrain including Patton Nagar at Khemkaran (1965), Akhnoor and
Shakargarh (1971), in the deserts to include Laungewala (1971), riverine
terrain of Bangladesh (1971), in the jungles and built-up areas in Sri Lanka
during the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Operations (1987) and recently at
the high altitude in Eastern Ladakh (2021). Armour assures both deterrence and
destruction.
It is thus apt to document the various
battles - both for their remarkable operational execution as well as lessons
for current military professionals, which are relevant even today. It is with
this in mind that the Cavalry Officers Association launched an outstanding
initiative under Lieutenant General Amit Sharma (Retd) and a team of three
highly committed authors who have meticulously researched and recorded the
history of armour operations in 1971 with a great deal of granularity.
The
Authors
The
book has been co-authored by four authors headed by Lieutenant General Amit
Sharma who was then the President of the Cavalry Officers Association.
Commissioned into 45 Cavalry, he retired as the Commander in Chief of the
Strategic Forces Command and has commanded an Armoured Brigade, an Infantry
Division, and the Strike Corps, all in the Desert Sector.
Lieutenant General Rakesh Chadha, was
commissioned into and Commanded 66 Armoured Regiment. He commanded an Armoured
Brigade as part of an Armoured Division and retired as the Director General
Operational Logistics.
Major General Jagatbir Singh belongs to
18 Cavalry and has Commanded an Armoured Brigade in the Desert sector and the strategic Black Elephant
Armoured Division. Post retirement he is a Distinguished Fellow with USI.
Sagat Shaunik, comes from a family with
a rich military heritage, his father and grandfather were both in the Army and
he is the grandnephew of Major Somnath Sharma who was awarded the first Param
Vir Chakra (PVC) and General VN Sharma who was the Army Chief. His area of
interest is India’s military history.
The
Book
Beginning
with the politico-diplomatic perspective of the war, the build up to the war,
armour operations in each theatre, followed by naval and air operations, the
canvas of Armour 71 is undoubtedly wide. The book covers interesting viewpoints
and the role of
armour in offensive and defensive operations. It also includes the employment
of tanks in East Pakistan which posed many problems due to the riverine terrain
with the large numbers of rivers and streams that were required to be crossed.
1971 is widely remembered as a
liberation war, a war that led to the creation of a new nation. Of all four
wars with Pakistan, the 1971 war is remembered as the decisive one. All wars
and battles lead to outcomes, invariably interpreted as victory or defeat by
the protagonists and the India-Pakistan wars are no different, but the 1971 war
is still accepted as a decisive victory for India, for it achieved an outcome
that changed the regional and world map forever.
The objectives of the military campaign
were clear. In the East, it had to be the decisive defeat of Pakistan; in the
West, it was to ensure that Pakistan was unable to make any gains in Jammu and
Kashmir while exploring possibilities of capturing territory in Rajasthan and
Sindh that could be politically useful at the negotiating table. The force
levels were deployed accordingly. General Candeth, in his book on the 1971 War,
stated- “The Chief of Army Staff informed us, his Army Commanders that the aim
of the government was to create conditions by helping the Mukti Bahini drive
out the Pakistanis and install a popular government in Dacca so that the ten
million or so refugees could go back home and live peacefully. He told us that
it was not part of India’s policy to humiliate Pakistan. India sought to
achieve a quick victory in the East and carry out only holding operations in
the West”.
While the Indian Army had undergone
major modernisation and expansion post the 1962 conflict, the focus was on the
Northern Borders and lesser emphasis was laid on armour. In fact, in 1965,
Pakistan had more Armoured Regiments than India. But after 1965, the focus fell
on Armoured Corps and ten additional Regiments were raised and our holdings
were modernised with the induction of T-54, T-55 and PT-76 tanks from USSR and
our own Vijyantas. The older equipment continued too, including the mighty
Centurions, the Light AMX-13 and some Shermans.
In the East, there were three Armoured
Regiments, 45 Cavalry and 69 Armoured Regiment equipped with PT-76 tanks and 63
Cavalry with recently inducted T-55 tanks. In addition, there were two
independent Armoured Squadrons equipped with the PT-76’s discarded by 63
Cavalry.
45 Cavalry was the first Regiment to be
blooded in battle in this war on 21 November 1971. Over the next twenty-six
days, the Regiment fought twenty-nine actions with seventeen battalions of 4
Mountain Division and 9 Infantry Division, the last two being on 16 December,
the day of the surrender. The actions by Major DS Narag at Garibpur, where they
destroyed five Pakistani Chafee tanks and Second Lieutenant Sam Chandavarkar
have been beautifully illustrated. Major Narag who was killed in battle was
awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC).
5 (Independent) Armoured Squadron of 63
Cavalry commanded by Major SS Mehta was involved in three major operations
which were Akhaura, Ashuganj and the crossing of the mighty River Meghna in the
most innovative manner. This Squadron was the only Armour element to be present
in Dacca for the ‘Surrender Ceremony’.
On 17 December 1971, Lieutenant Colonel
Pawittar Singh Takhar, Commandant of 69 Armoured Regiment, had the unique
opportunity to accept the surrender of Lieutenant Colonel Bukhari, Commanding
Officer Pakistan 29 Cavalry.
It was decided to use a mix of T-55 and
PT-76 tanks in each Regiment evolving the concept of light armour supported by
medium armour. T-55 Squadrons were employed along the axis which had firm
terrain and PT-76 tanks were employed to carry out an outflanking manoeuvre
across wet paddy fields. Armour operations in East Pakistan were successful due
to correct employment and aggressive action with high initiative at the sub-unit
level. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that tank actions can only succeed
if they have dedicated infantry, artillery, and air support, with very
carefully executed logistics support.
Scenes
from East Pakistan
India’s
strategy in the West was more aimed at preventing loss of territory. Several
small offensives were planned to capture vulnerable salients across the Cease
Fire Line as also across the International Border. The original plan was to
launch offensives in Chhamb and in the Shakargarh Bulge. A major advance was to
take place in the desert towards Naya Chor. A smaller push in the direction of
Rahimyar Khan was also considered. A contingency plan to employ the Armoured
Division across the border was also made in the event of Pakistan committing
its reserves in the Shakargarh area. Neither this nor the plan for the
offensive in Chhamb were executed. In fact, the Armoured Division remained on
‘a tight leash’ throughout.
The battle of Chhamb where two Armoured
Regiments, The Deccan Horse and 72 Armoured Regiment fought an integrated
battle as part of 10 Infantry Division displayed gallantry, resolute grit and
determination which led to destruction of enemy armour and stymied their
offensive on the West bank of the Munawar Tawi has been covered in a great deal
of detail. Yet it is quite inexplicable that The Deccan Horse which blunted the
Pakistan armour in the initial stages was denied the Battle Honour of Chhamb.
In the Western Sector, Second Lieutenant
Arun Kheterpal of Poona Horse was awarded the PVC whereas Brig Arun Vaidhya,
Cdr 16 (Independent) Armoured Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel RM Vohra, commanding
The Hodsons Horse, Lieutenant Colonel Sukhjit Singh, commanding The Scinde
Horse, and Lieutenant Colonel Hanut Singh, commanding The Poona Horse, were all
awarded MvCs. The battles of
these and many other illustrious Regiments which fought in the Western Sector
have been covered in greatest of detail bringing out issues that have not yet
lost their relevance.
Conclusion
Though
1971 reflected a combination of strategic decisiveness among the political
leadership, unity across the party lines, setting out of clear political
objectives, and a relationship of trust in the advice rendered by the military
leadership. It was no doubt a whole nation approach working on a common script,
that enabled India to claim that it was on the right side of history.
However, as General VN Sharma wrote,
“Despite India’s great victory, in the Shimla Agreement, it is not clear why PM
Indira Gandhi let Pakistan ‘off the hook’ on the question of the conflict in
the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the need for settlement of the
border and termination of terrorist activity by Pakistan”.
An extremely detailed book backed by
painstaking and meticulous research, it will undoubtedly assist future military
leaders in training for the next conflict in varied and difficult terrain, and
understanding the express need for effective cooperation between all military
arms and services and departments of government, for success in battle. The
book will also be of interest to fellow Indians and students who will feel
proud of the great achievements of the Indian Defence Forces. The book also
needs to find a place of pride in libraries of training academies and armour
training schools across the world.
Major General VK Singh (Retd)
*Armour
71. By
Cavalry Officers Association (Publisher-DEFSTRAT Books, December 2022); Pages:
280; Price-1200; ISBN: N/A
Journal of the United Service Institution
of India, Vol. CLIII, No. 633,
July-September 2023.
Chinese
Military Legal System: An Analysis. By UC Jha and Kishore Kumar Khera; (New Delhi: Vij
Books India Pvt Ltd, June 2022); Pages: 308; Price: Rs 1750/-; ISBN-13:
978-9393499608.
The
Chinese military legal system is headed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
Military Court, which is under the Political Department of the Central Military
Commission and the Supreme People’s Court.
Below the PLA Military Court, there are courts in the military regions
as well as ‘in’ the military services–Navy, Air Force, Armed Police, and below
those courts, are basic level courts within each of these regions, military
services, and other units. The PLA consisting of nearly two million active-duty
officers and civil cadres, Non Commissioned Officers and conscripts are
governed by numerous laws, rules and regulations. The book goes on to suggest
the inherent lack of transparency and openness not only in the Chinese military
court system but also in the personnel system.
Under the current government, the PLA, which is also a subset of Chinese
society, is undergoing a major reform in terms of structure and values and,
hence, the governing laws and codes of conduct play a major role. This book
looks at various facets of Chinese military laws, their implementation process,
their inherent strengths and inadequacies, and their future impact on its
military.
The book is laid out into nine chapters
and seven appendices which analyse the military legal system of the PLA,
including matters related to administration, administrative and disciplinary
measures, and trial by military courts in a simple and lucid manner. The first
chapter gives a clear overview about the Peoples’ Liberation Army, the Central
Military Commission (CMC), the composition and reorganisation with changing
ethos. The second chapter elucidates the administrative aspects contained in
the Interior Service Regulations of the PLA which are the military
administrative law and regulations defining the basic system of military
activities, including induction, oath, system of rank, internal relations, and
personnel policies. It also discusses issues related to appointment and
removal, administrative violations, disposal of complaints and grievances of
the service members.
Chapter 3 covers the historical
evaluation and progression of the Chinese military legal system from the times
of earliest ruling dynasties till the present time. The chapter also gives an
account of the military law codified and evolved over the millenniums and how
the codes transitioned and progressed after the establishment of Republic of
China in 1912. It discusses the constitutional provisions and the relevant laws
affecting military service and analyses the development of military laws and
regulations.
Chapter 4 reveals the substantive
provisions in Criminal Law of PRC which exclusively deal with ‘Crimes of
Servicemen’s Transgression of Duties’, contained in Articles 420 to 451.The
natures of crimes range from wartime crimes, crimes in violation of military
discipline, crimes endangering military secrets and fighting capacity to crimes
infringing the interests of the soldiers and civilians. The PLA personnel are
liable to be prosecuted in a military court for these offences. The criminal
procedure law followed in a trial by a military court has also been briefly
covered in this chapter. Military courts are standing courts organised under
the Organic Law of the People’s Court. They hold jurisdiction over both
criminal and civil cases. Chapter 5 discusses the hierarchical structure and
functioning of the three levels of the military court system under the PLA. The
chapter also discusses the extent of jurisdiction of the military courts in
criminal and certain civil cases.
The next chapter describes the rules of
discipline of the PLA and discusses discipline-related offences, punishments
that can be awarded to soldiers, officers and members of the civilian cadre of
military, and their implementation in accordance with articles 132-145 of the
regulations on the discipline of PLA. The chapter 7 of the book relates to the
wave of judicial reforms related to the rights to a fair trial, designed to
protect individuals from the unlawful and arbitrary deprivation of their basic
rights and freedoms. It is contained in Article 14 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been signed by the PRC. The
chapter also covers the right to fair trial under international law, and
critically analyses whether trials in the military courts of China are just and
fair. This chapter, as also the Chapter 8 highlight the large number issues
related to instilling discipline amongst its cadre. The foremost issue
remaining that of corruption among senior officers and the enforcement measures
in place to check the systemic corruption in higher ranks. Chapter 8 stretches
to examine the root of the issues related to corruption and the effectiveness
of the recent attempts by Xi Jinping to root out corruption from the military.
The military law reforms are an important part of President Xi Jinping’s
comprehensive reforms of the political system and the military modernisation
programme. The last chapter of the book under the title ‘Gestalt’ broadly draws
the verdict on various aspects of the military legal system of the PLA and
evaluates the efficacy of the military legal reforms especially those in last
two decades.
The book provides a wholesome reading experience to
military lawyers and scholars alike since it not only covers the administrative
and criminal aspects of the military legal setup in the PLA, but also the
unique role and position occupied by the government functionaries in the
administration of military justice in PLA.The book would immensely add to
readers’ knowledge and help in drawing comparative analysis between the legal
system of major armies of the world and suggest way forward for learning
lessons, adopting best practices, and new approach to study military law.
Group
Captain Sharad Tewari, VM (Retd)
The
Eastern Gate: War and Peace in Nagaland, Manipur and India’s Far East. By Sudeep Chakravarti; (Simon and
Schuster, New Delhi, India, January 2022); Pages: 477; Price: Rs. 899/-;
ISBN13: 978-9392099212
The Eastern Gate is Chakravarti’s second book on the
northeast, an area that he calls far-eastern India, after Highway 39,
which was released in 2012.
It was Chakravarti’s previous attempt at unravelling the brutal history of
Nagaland and Manipur, and their violent and restive present. The book touches upon issues of other states in
the northeast but is essentially focused on Nagaland and Manipur. There
are 42 chapters divided into three sections titled ‘Smoke, Mirrors, and
Smoke and Mirrors’.
Northeast India accounts for
nearly a seventh of the country’s landmass and is home to nearly 50 million
people. It is a gateway to immense possibilities, from hydrocarbons to regional
trade, and a bulwark of the country’s security in the shadow of China. The
region is also home to immense ethnic and communal tension, and an ongoing Naga
conflict that is shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty. No wonder the author
writes, “India’s eastern elixir is a seductive, stunningly complex cocktail”.
The agenda is open ended and issues are picked up along the way and analysed
through interviews with interested parties or by re-reading news reports concerning
them.
In the book, the author discusses in
detail the “issues that snarl community relationships in Manipur, and the
massive umbilical of the Naga question that is irrevocably tied to this state
and irrevocably affects the region”. The author also dwells on the Kuki
community and its history and aspirations in the book. According to the Nagas,
all the land in the hills actually belongs to them and the Kukis were
‘vagabonds’ who came and settled there. The Meiteis feel the entire state
belongs to them — it was a part of their old kingdom. So, unless this major
issue of land or territory gets resolved, we are not going to head anywhere, an
Intelligence Bureau official puts in the book. The book attempts at
peace-making at the community level between the Kukis and Nagas in Manipur. The
bloodshed during the 1990s has remained a bitter memory and a sticking point
between the two communities. The author records the peace overtures made by the
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) to their Naga counterpart, United Naga Council (UNC).
The Eastern Gate seeks to background the
ambit of that ambition in this geo-strategic, geo-economic sweet spot with a
combination of research and reportage in a narrative that draws in policymakers
from politicians and bureaucrats to academicians and analysts, players of every
hue from rebels to intelligence operatives, and people in whose name policies
and plays are made. The book also highlights the mechanics, the pressures, and
the counter-pressures of peace-making that has the potential to transform and
elevate this region; the Naga peace process that saw an uptick in mid-2015 and;
the crucial, and often misunderstood, ethno-political umbilical that ties it
firmly to Manipur and, to a lesser extent, to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
A close
watcher of the complex geo-ethno-political developments in the north-eastern
states, Chakravarti, in this book, offers crucial historical perspectives into
the beginning of the Naga problem, elaborating how the British started showing
Naga homelands as part of their territory on papers even as they enjoyed little
or no authority over the land and its people, and how the government of India,
thereafter, continued with the British policy. The book, however, uses
history mostly to elaborate the context of the present and the recent past,
especially 2014 onwards, but the focus has been on discussing and weighing
possible ways to bring peace to ‘the interlocked histories and territories of
Manipur and Nagaland’.
Employing a ‘dispatches’ style of storytelling,
and interviews with rebel leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, policy makers,
security specialists and operatives, gunrunners, narcos, peace negotiators and
community leaders, Chakravarti’s narrative provides a definitive guide to the
transition from war to peace, even as he keeps a firm gaze on the future.
Dr Jyoti Yadav