Indian colonels object to Kashmir flood fund

Some senior officers (Colonels) of Indian Army have objected to the announcement (order) made by Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh on the Indian Army Day (January 15, 2015) for contribution of a day’s pay by the entire Army to the one-billion-rupee Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to help flood-affected people in Occupied Kashmir.
The apparent reason for this suspicion is that the floods have caused devastation in many parts of India besides the disputed territory of held Kashmir.
In such circumstances, the Indian Army Chief’s stress on contribution for Kashmir floods alone has been looked askance at by some people including those from the officers’ cadre.
The second reason, according to well-informed, reliable sources is that the objecting officers view the decision as non-voluntary.
These officers (a few colonels) have reportedly recorded their objections on the order/ signal received from the Indian Army HQ on the subject contribution. The sources further revealed on the basis of authentic information received from reliable quarters that some officers are also contemplating seeking legal remedy against the decision to deduct a day’s pay without prior consent.
The sources also told The News that the Indian Army’s spokesperson has tried to assuage the objections by stating that the contribution of one day’s salary by all Army personnel was not an arbitrary decision and obtaining consent in writing from every member would have been logistically impractical. The Indian Army spokesman further stated that the proposal was discussed during Army Commanders’ conference on October 14 and subsequently and that it was only after the commanders’ and field formations’ and units’ consensus that the decision was taken.
Observers of Kashmir situation smell a rat, for obvious reasons, in both the Indian Army chief’s Kashmir-specific order and in the officers’ refusal to pay for Kashmiris’ relief even in the midst of natural catastrophes.