The embarrassment over Operation Sarp Vinash and the suicide attack on senior officers in Tanda have prompted the Indian Army to get more media savvy.
During Operation Sarp Vinash, launched on April 21 in the Surankot area of Jammu region, the army claimed to have killed about 60 terrorists. But Frontline magazine disputed the number of terrorists killed and other aspects of the operation.
The army's attempt to counter the Frontline report backfired as its evidence failed to support the numbers cited earlier. Subsequent statements by senior officers were found to be at variance.
In Tanda, Northern Command chief Lieutenant General Hari Prasad was injured and Brigadier Ram Goyal killed by a militant when the senior officers were inspecting the site of a suicide attack. Other officers injured included General Officer Commanding-in-Chief 16 Corps Lieutenant General T P S Brar, Major General Sapru, commander of a brigade based in Akhnoor, Brigadier Baldev Singh and Colonel Jais Rawat.
The commanders' visit was meant to convey the message that the situation had been brought under control, but the exercise ended in disaster.
The army believes among other issues the two setbacks are the result of a lack of sophistication in dealing with the media.
Army Headquarters is now trying to understand the media and its needs.
One aspect of media management senior officers agree on is the need for quicker response to journalists' queries. A new operating procedure for dealing with the media has been put in place. It entails specialised training and appointment of senior officers to deal with the media.
"It is imperative senior officers are equipped to deal with media queries impromptu," a senior army officer said. He said the new procedures would not only make it easier for officers in the field to interact with the media, and also allow for more of them to be involved in the exercise.
The initiative is already being implemented at the Northern Command, which looks after Jammu and Kashmir where media attention is the highest.
As part of the initiative, the army has posted a brigadier to handle the psyops (psychological operations) department at the Northern Command.
Though the defence ministry has posted dedicated public relations officers all over the country, psyops will handle interaction with the media as the army is reportedly unhappy with the defence ministry arrangement, especially in J&K.
According to the afore-quoted senior officer, the army also plans to appoint a major general to head the Delhi-based Army Liaison Cell, part of the Military Intelligence department that handles most of the army's interaction with the media.
