By IANS
New Delhi : Defence Minister A.K. Antony is yet to rule in a row in the Indian Army over the transfer of a lieutenant general who heads the crucial Northern Command responsible for guarding Jammu and Kashmir.
“I had recommended the transfer (of Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag) in organisational interests. It is for the government now to take a view on this,” Indian Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor said at a press conference here Monday.
He was responding to a question on whether Panag would be assuming his new posting as head of the relatively insignificant Lucknow-based Central Command on March 1.
A related question was whether Kapoor had been kept in the loop after Panag sought a meeting with Antony to present his side of the case.
“Yes, I am aware of the fact that the meeting was to take place. This is an issue that is in the domain of the government and I would like to leave it at that,” the army chief maintained.
Panag met Antony Dec 5 and the minister had promised to play the honest broker in the row.
“The minister said he will examine all aspects before coming to a decision,” an official had said after the meeting.
“The officer had a 20-minute meeting with the minister, who patiently heard him out. The minister promised to closely examine the issue before coming to a decision,” the official had told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the subject.
In normal course the transfer would have gone unnoticed. In this case, however, it is being linked in some quarters to Panag’s probes into two purchase scandals that occurred at the Northern Command when Kapoor headed it.
The army vehemently denies this, saying the events are not linked. The scams relate to the purchase of tents and eggs under special powers granted by Kapoor, who headed the Northern Command till last January. Kapoor had subsequently served as the army vice chief before being elevated to the top job Sep 30, 2007.
A major general has been served a show-cause notice in the case of the tent purchases and though there is no evidence of any personal wrongdoing by Kapoor, a case of impropriety can be made out, sources in the northern command said.
Explaining the rationale behind the transfer, an officer said it had become necessary as the lieutenant generals heading the Central Command and the Kolkata-based Eastern Command are retiring Feb 29 and their replacements have to be found.
To that extent, Panag’s transfer was part of routine procedure, the officer added.