New Delhi, May 24
A day after the Army Chief General VK Singh issued a show cause notice to Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag, it has now turned out that the Ministry of Defence was in the dark about the developments and was taken aback as the Army headquarters had, a few weeks ago, sent Gen Suhag’s name for a promotion.

Top sources confirmed that the Army Chief did not keep the ministry in the loop. The Chief is well within his rights to issue a show cause but it is expected that he informs the MoD as this concerns a very senior officer who is commanding a sensitive corps, said a source.

The Ministry sources refrained from stating if it would impact Gen Suhag’s promotion as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C). “The policy is to wait and watch. There is no urgency. In any case, Chief of Staff at the Army Command can handle matters for a few days before appointments are made,” said an official. Two vacancies of Army Commanders arise on May 31. Gen Suhag and Lt Gen Sanjeev Chachra are tipped to be elevated.

On May 31, Lt Gen Shankar Ghosh, the Western Army Commander, is to retire while Gen Bikram Singh, the present Eastern Army Commander, will take over as the Chief.

The show cause notice charges Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, GOC of the Dimapur-based 3 Corps, who is in the line of succession after Army Chief-designate Lt Gen Bikram Singh, with "abdicating responsibility" in handling an intelligence and a surveillance unit. — TNS