Is Major General Vijay Kumar Jetley to blame for the present crisis in Sierra Leone?
Is Major General Vijay Kumar Jetley to blame for the present crisis in Sierra Leone?
Definitely not, says the Indian military establishment. "How can you blame him? He is struggling to contain further damage," says a senior army commander. "His hands are tied behind his back."
Says Major General Ranjit Singh Nagra, the officer coordinating India's peacekeeping efforts with the UN:
"General Jetley is a highly acclaimed professional officer. Right from day one his competence and professionalism have been acclaimed by everybody."
He terms UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's criticism about General Jetley as "unfortunate", and vehemently rules out any move to recall the force commander as demanded by African nations.
"Logically there is no reason to crib about [him]," says Major General (retd) Y K Gere, who was part of the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka.
A commander, he adds, has certain duties: To ensure that his men are not exposed to unnecessary danger, to achieve the mission, and not to give a bad name to his nation.
"I got no reason to believe that he did not act. He may not be suiting some vested interest," he argues.
Lieutenant General (retd) Satish Nambiar too sees no reason to question General Jetley's capability. "Our commander there has handled it well. In a situation like this, you can't start fighting the rebel forces. You will take casualties. Now he is trying to work out compromises, negotiations that is part of it.
"Peacekeeping effort is [all about] compromises. You are dealing with belligerents, recalcitrant elements. Very often you have to stretch your patience a great deal. I mean, none of them have been killed, obviously that means the handling has been good."
Comments another senior army officer, who requested anonymity: "The mission was sent to Sierra Leone to oversee the implementation of the Lome Accord. They were not provided with necessary support for full-scale operations. Maybe the UN thought they may not have to fight there. I think the UN did not properly anticipate the situation."