Did Gen Rawat Speak for Himself or Sitharaman on Cantonment Roads?

Rawat’s comments were neither binding nor forceful –was he an officer following orders? Harsha Kakar thinks so.

Army chief Bipin Rawat and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. 

(Photo: The Quint)

In a press conference on 13 June, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat supported the opening of cantonment roads. He stated, “If a road is being planned for a particular civil area, should we close it and think we are above everyone else?”

He quoted two examples.

The first example he gave was of walking plazas which exist in select cantonments and are open to everyone, including the local public.

In the case of walking plazas, the roads are shut for two hours in the morning and evening, to encourage walkers from all over the city. In Lucknow, there are more civilian than army walkers on the road in the morning and evening.

Walking plazas are very popular. There has never been any hindrance to those residing on these roads, nor for those visiting. They are always permitted to move but are required to drive slowly, the right of way remains with the walkers and children playing.

The second example he gave was of Pune where there was a communal graveyard, the shortest route for which was through the cantonment. Realising that it was inconveniencing the local public, the road was opened. He concluded his comments, stating:

You are irritating people by closing roads. If you have to manage security, then manage it. Right now, you have a false sense of security when you feel you are secured in a closed environment. We can’t put civilians away. People will start becoming hostile.

General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief

These are words which have been welcomed by the public, mainly those residing in Secunderabad. Immediately, there were comments from the city that 14 more roads have yet to be opened and demands for opening those roads too arose.

Desperate Defense from Sitharaman?

Was the chief speaking of his own accord or was he requested to do so by Nirmala Sitharaman, who has been facing flak from every direction on her blanket decision to open all roads?

By having the army chief speak, the defence minister would have hoped to offset some of the flak she had been facing since then, from both the serving and veteran community. Any statement by the chief was expected to quell tempers and possibly put the minds of the serving at rest.

An analysis the chief’s comments clearly indicate that it was not made of his own free will, but done at the behest of a beleaguered defence minister. Being a responsible officer, he would never admit it, but the comments and examples are clearly indicative. It is also possible that he was asked a specific question, to which for the first time, he gave a generic answer with neither direction nor clarity.

No road in Secunderabad has been planned for a ‘particular civil area’ as the chief stated.

They are all army roads, made for the army’s use, which are being been exploited, as builders have created colonies around the cantonments. Hence, the army has not shut any civil road, which has ‘been planned for a particular area’.

So, his words do not imply that the army will open closed roads, since none were planned for ‘a particular area’.

Benefiting ‘Community’ Vs ‘The Army Community’

The entire community of Secunderabad that is fighting for the opening of the roads has never once been quoted in the High Court judgement of 2014, which has legally authorised the army to close any roads it desires for security purposes, while tasking the municipal authority with constructing alternate ones. This has neither been mentioned by the army chief, nor by the defence minister.

Walking plazas would and should continue to exist, as they benefit all communities of the city, not just the army community – and there has been no decision to close any.

Further, the chief is also aware of the problems for families residing alone. He knows that their security cannot be overlooked. Since management of security within a cantonment is the responsibility of the Local Military Authority (LMA), it cannot be overruled. He never stated that all roads, despite where they lead and through which areas they transit, must open. That has been left to the discretion of the LMA.

Post-Decision Hostility

It is only after the unilateral decision taken by the defence minister to open all cantonments that there has been an increase in hostility against the army, as stated by the chief. Opening all roads, without even basic checks, has added to anger within the service – an issue that has been carefully avoided by the army chief in his comments. He gave the example of Pune, clearly avoiding roads which are under dispute or being requested to be opened.

Thus, while local authorities would feel that the army chief has given a blanket direction to open all roads, it is not so. He gave comments which were general, neither binding nor forceful. His examples were also equally generic. This was the least forceful of all his press conferences, in which he always speaks with conviction and clarity. It clearly emerges that the chief spoke because the defence minister, projecting the political fallout of her hasty decision, is seeking to deflect some of the anger that could affect vote banks.

For those hoping that his comments would open all roads, that may be expecting too much. Even the defence minister’s belief that the chief’s comments would tamp down the anger of the serving and veterans, may not come to pass.