The Kargil mess is getting murkier. In a multi-pronged cover-up attempt, the army top brass is pulling out all stops to ensure that the truth about early warning signals on intrusions in Kargil does not come to public notice. This move, according to sources at army headquarters, is designed not only to protect the army top brass but also the defence minister and the Vajpayee government which hopes to reap a rich harvest of votes from the Kargil victory. Should the true facts of the intrusion be revealed, then the success claimed for Operation Vijay would be victory in a war that could have been avoided.
Fresh investigations by Outlook have revealed that Brig Surinder Singh of the Kargil-based 121 Brigade had personally briefed the Chief of Army Staff (coas), Gen V.P. Malik, about the “enhanced threat perceptions,” during the chief’s visit to Kargil in mid-August 1998. Maj Gen V.S. Budhwar, the General Officer Commanding the Leh-based 3 Infantry Division, was also present during the official presentation about the border situation in that sector.