| by B.Raman
( October 3, 2012, Chennai, Sri
Lanka Guardian) Lt.Gen. (retd) K.S.Brar, who played a prominent and courageous role in the military action
code-named OP Blue Star in the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984, was the
target of a pre-planned and determined attack by unidentified elements in
London on the night of September 30,2012.He escaped death.
 |
| Lt General (Retd) K S Brar and his wife Meena were attacked by four men outside a London hotel |
2. In an interview to Sonia Singh
of NDTV on the night of October 2,2012, his wife said that before they left
India for London, the Army unit responsible for their physical security in
India was informed of their travel plans and their planned stay at London.
3.Despite this, the British
security agencies do not appear to have been informed of their visit to London
either by the Indian High Commission in London or by the Indian intelligence
agencies in order to ensure their protection till they returned to India.
4.Their physical security in
India is taken care of by the Army. Their security during their foreign travels
is the responsibility of our intelligence agencies and diplomatic missions.
5.For reasons that are not clear,
neither our intelligence agencies nor our mission in London appear to have
taken any action to ensure his protection. He escaped largely due to his
bravery, alertness and military reflexes.
6. Many senior officers of the
security forces---military and civilian--- have over the years played
leadership roles in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Some
of them like those who played a role in Ops Blue Star in 1984 and Black Thunder
in 1988 against Khalistani terrorists are vulnerable to retaliatory attacks by
the terrorists.
7. Their security is taken care
of by their units while they are still in service. After they retire, they are
dependent on their units and the concerned civilian departments for their
continued protection.
8. In retirement, military
officers are more vulnerable than civilian officers. Retired civilian officers
have a web of contacts in the civilian departments concerned and in the
Ministry of External Affairs. They use these contacts to ensure security for
them when they go abroad.
9. Military officers spend their
career mostly in barracks or cantonments. They do not have that kind of
contacts in the civilian security bureaucracy. They intimate their travel plans
to the Army unit responsible for their security in India and presume that
necessary follow-up action will be taken. That is what Gen.Brar seems to have
done.
10. Shockingly, there does not
appear to have been any follow-up action on his intimation. He and his wife
found themselves without protection in London.
11. Nothing can be more
embarrassing or distasteful for a military officer than to go around asking for
physical security in retirement. They expect and presume that the Government in
recognition of their brave role would do whatever needs to be done on its own
to ensure their protection.
12.This was apparently not done
in the case of Gen.Brar, one of the most vulnerable officers. The Government
should immediately hold a detailed
enquiry into this and see that such instances of ineptitude are not repeated.
(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd),
Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director,
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For
China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com
Twitter @SORBONNE75)
 Lt.Gen. (retd) K.S.Brar, who played a prominent and courageous role ...){kind=link}