It is a landmine within. The 59-year-old National Defence Academy, Indian military’s iconic nursery, has been dragged into the glare of controversy. A faculty feud at the venerable NDA has taken a devious turn with charges of manipulation in answer-sheets of cadets, corruption and embezzlement of government funds. Now, the war of the staffers is beginning to pound the institution.

NDA’s bosses have so far declined to comment on the allegations, but people familiar with the situation say the academy is worried that its reputation has taken a beating. Already, Central Bureau of Investigation sleuths have visited the campus twice to investigate the charges. These visits suggest that all’s not well at the academy.

It all started on February 1 this year, when the CBI year raided the office and residential premises of NK Kumar, a senior faculty member of the academy’s political science department. The raid followed a complaint by Kamal Chandra Tiwari, a lecturer in the same department, to the Central Vigilance Commissioner on July 9, 2007, alleging that Kumar, a reader, had fixed assets worth a few crores. The complainant also alleged Kumar had not disclosed details about his property.

“I also apprehend that Kumar might have acquired other assets through illegal means, either in his hometown or in the name of his family or benami,” Tiwari wrote to the CVC.

But, on Monday (April 21), Tiwari found himself at the receiving end when the CBI raided his residence and office on charges of possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. NDA’s public relations officer, Major Pratap Singh, has confirmed that four CBI sleuths came to the academy.

“They had a search warrant against Tiwari and met the vice principal of the institute,” he said, explaining that it was a case of owning wealth disproportionate to the sources of income.

THE FESTERING FEUD

Investigations by DNA’s Pune team reveal the feud between Tiwari and Kumar goes back a long time. Tiwari, a civilian gazetted officer (academic) with a double MA (Economics and Political Science), joined NDA in July 1997 as a lecturer, but was suspended after charges were leveled against him by NK Kumar.

The academy then instituted a staff court of inquiry to probe the complaints and cross-complaints by Tiwari and Kumar.

Tiwari had produced evidence to show that answer-sheets of cadets were being manipulated.

On May 31, 2001, the court of inquiry recommended that “Kumar be issued a show-cause notice as to why action should not be initiated against him for displaying a careless attitude in evaluation of answer scripts assigned to him.”

The inquiry also recommended that Tiwari’s services be terminated.

Tiwari then approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which set aside the earlier order, on February 21, 2002. He was reinstated from the date of termination.

In February 2007, Tiwari submitted a vakalatnama before the judicial magistrate, first class, stating senior faculty members were involved in irregularity in checking answer-sheets.

He had also cited destruction and concealment of classified documents and false allegations against junior officers.

According to Tiwari, Kumar and Suresh Chandra Joshi, who was then NDA’s principal,were involved in various illegal activities including corruption, embezzlement of government funds, and causing losses to the tune of Rs40 lakh to the state exchequer.

NEXUS ON THE CAMPUS

In another confidential letter to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) last July, Tiwari said there was a nexus between Kumar and Joshi. Tiwari also pointed out that Kumar, despite owning several properties, including three luxury flats and a commercial shop in Pune, “may not have filed any immovable property returns maliciously. Despite this, his annual confidential report was forwarded by Joshi.”

In his complaint, Tiwari had also questioned why Joshi’s pension was cleared after his superannuation on August 31, 2007, when a criminal case was pending against him in connection with a cognizable and non-bailable offence.

As if that was not enough, Tiwari also wrote to the defence minister, AK Antony, on September 12, 2007 that the NDA commandant might have submitted a false certificate to the principal controller of defence accounts, Allahabad, to claim pension.

Tiwari said another complaint against Joshi was pending with the CVC for misuse of official power and disproportionate assets.

Documents reveal that irregularities were being committed at NDA much earlier. The issue was first highlighted on July 10, 2000, when Sanjeev Kumar Mago, another senior faculty at the political science department, wrote to the NDA commandant, raising concern over incorrect evaluation. Mago pointed out that nearly 100 cadets had been given excess marks “in certain cases” without even attempting the questions in the examination.

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS

Records with DNA reveal that Mago, in his complaint to the commandant, had cited serious irregularities in the evaluation of answer scripts, pertaining to comparative politics, of the November 18, 1998, semester examinations; the scripts were evaluated by senior faculty member NK Kumarse.

“This is not mere negligence, but some other considerations are the apparent reason,” Mago had charged, requesting the commandant to verify the facts through preliminary inquiries as was done earlier by senior faculty member SRL Rao.

Mago had also produced names of cadets, their academy numbers, the squadrons they belonged to, and the courses and dates of examination.He had also requested that the answersheets be preserved till the inquiry was completed.

He followed up on his original complaint on May 5, 2003, and again, in August 2006 by writing to the defence secretary and requesting a full-fledged inquiry. Mago had also named the then principal, SC Joshi, as a party to the alleged irregularities.

With Kumar being made head of the political science department at NDA, the complainant had apprehended “destruction of the answer scripts, so that the truth never comes on surface.” It is not Mago alone, even Tiwari had written to the defence secretary on October 2, 2002, about gross irregularities in the evaluation of answer-sheets of cadets.

He had charged that “Kumar had awarded more marks than prescribed, and in some cases, had not awarded marks.”

Is this the first episode of the plot or is it the last? Even if the sordid drama has nothing more to reveal, it has unfortunately dented the image of India’s premier defence institution.

Source : DNA