The President Takes Over

by Bhaskar Sarkar

The Plan is Made

  Col Sen woke up in a strange room. He was relieved to find that he was alone in bed. The President obviously slept alone. He looked around. It was a very large room luxuriously furnished. It would take some time to get adjusted to the situation. There was little he could do. He did not dare to move out for the fear of making a fool of himself. He waited for things to happen.

  At 6-30 AM, the orderly brought in the tea and news papers. He signaled him to place it on the bedside table and picked up one of the papers. There was the usual trash; the tussle between the government and the opposition over "Coal Gate". Which political leader had said what, some predictions on the fate of the government and the progress on the various investigations? It appeared that the plight of the common man was only news worthy if they were raped, murdered or brutalized and that too never news worthy for the front pages. He poured himself a cup of tea and turned to the sports pages. Then he found the bathroom. He hesitated for a moment at the thought of using another’s toothbrush but picked it up. It was the Presidents teeth that he was going to clean anyway. The morning chores done, he returned to bed.

  The next visitor was a doctor and a nurse. They gave him a thorough checkup. When they were about to leave, he told the doctor to wait. Once the nurse had left, he told the doctor that he was to be declared indisposed and all his appointments for the next three days were to be canceled. He told the doctor to tell the ADC to see him immediately.

  Soon after the doctor had left, an elderly lady entered. She inquired about his health and fussed over him. It had to be the president's wife. It was very disconcerting. He assured her that his indisposition was nothing serious and a little rest would set things right. He told her not to worry but to leave him alone.

  The next to come in was the ADC. He liked the young fellow. He was a smart keen young man in his ceremonial dress. At his age every one had a bit of nationalism and idealism in them. He hoped that the man had adequate discretionary powers as well. He told the ADC that he was having some memory problem. He should therefore bring all the recent videos taken at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (India's White House), show them to him and point out the various personalities in them. He also told the ADC that he did not want to see any one other than the doctor and his wife and he was not to be disturbed.

  The ADC returned after about half an hour with an arm full of video cassettes. Together he went through each one of them getting to know the staff and to observe how the President behaved with the various people and situations. By evening he hoped that he would be able to conduct himself without making a fool of himself. He felt a little tired. He asked the ADC to bring him some whiskey and water. The ADC was aghast. He had never seen the President drink. But he did what he was told. The President poured himself a drink and asked the ADC to join him. They talked about the state of the nation. Then he asked the ADC if he could keep a secret. The ADC assured him that he could. He then told him that he wanted that the Defense Service Chiefs should see him at 9 AM the next day. They should seek an appointment with his secretary and ostensibly come to inquire about his health. He would also like to see the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who should also come to inquire about his health at about 11 AM. The ADC was to go to the houses of the Chiefs and the Chief Justice using his personal transport so that no one came to know of his mission and personally convey the request of the President. He should then come and confirm that the program was fixed. The ADC was intrigued. But, like a good soldier, he kept his thoughts to himself. He downed his drink and left on his mission.

  The President had another drink and then hid the bottle. He then rang the bell and called for dinner. At 10 PM, the ADC came and confirmed that the messages had been conveyed and that the Service Chiefs and the Chief Justice had confirmed that the Service Chiefs would come at 9 AM and the Chief Justice at 11 AM.

  At 9 AM the next day, the service chiefs were ushered into the President’s bedroom. After the usual exchange of formalities, they were seated and tea was served. Once the table had been cleared, the President told the ADC to leave the room and ensure that he was not disturbed under any circumstances. Then he asked the chiefs whether they accepted him as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Force without any reservations. The Chiefs were taken aback at the question. After a brief pause they confirmed their loyalties. The President then told them that he considered that the political and economic condition in the country was alarming. The coalition Government was unable to govern. There were too many parties and they kept pressurizing the government to get what they wanted. The nexus between the politicians and criminals had gained strength over the years. Every public institution was being eroded. Government treasuries were being looted. MP's and MLA's and their families did not want to be accountable as public servants and be liable under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Government was circumventing judgments of the Supreme Court by passing ordinances or procrastinating on their implementation. The coalition Government at the Center and the state governments were not in a position to take unpopular decisions. Corruption had risen to unacceptable levels. The rule of law had been replaced by the law of the jungle. In short total anarchy was prevailing. If the country was to be saved from ruin, something drastic had to be done. He asked the generals if they agreed with his assessment of the situation or not. The Service Chiefs nodded their agreement. The President then told the generals that he felt that the only way to deal with the situation was to declare internal emergency for six months, to dismiss the present Government, to dissolve the parliament and to hold elections under new laws to break the politician criminal nexus. There was also a need for some harsh action to root out corruption, improve accountability of the civil services and stop the looting of Government treasuries. He needed their support to deal with the situation. Were they willing to co-operate? He wanted their decision immediately. The Service Chiefs thought for a few moments and agreed to provide the necessary support.

  The President then gave out his plan. The Government and the parliament were going to be dismissed at midnight the following day and emergency declared. Once this was done, he expected some trouble from the vested interests. He felt that some of the political parties would try to organize demonstrations and create law and order problems. The Opposition was likely to welcome the dismissal of the present Government. So no trouble was expected from this quarter. The reaction of the Congress Party is likely to be violent. They are capable of creating problems in Delhi. The ruling coalition could create law and order problems in the states where they are the Government. Most problems could be expected in Assam, Haryana, and UP. Assam was going to be put under Presidents rule. Hence dealing with this state was going to be easier.

  Law and order must be maintained at all cost. Though this was not the responsibility of the armed forces, to maintain secrecy, it was necessary that this responsibility was taken over by the armed forces in the initial stages in Delhi, Assam, Haryana and UP. The key to the success in maintaining law and order without bloodshed is prevention of formation of large crowds. The Army must be prepared to deploy large forces in Delhi and the major towns in the states of Assam, Haryana and UP by 0600 hours day after tomorrow. Helicopter surveillance of these towns should be maintained during daylight hours and crowds must be dispersed as soon as they begin to form. Curfews will be imposed if necessary. The Chief of Army Staff was to order a mobilization exercise for all troops in Delhi on the next day. He was also going to form task groups for ensuring protection of major vulnerable points like the Rashtrapati Bhavan, government offices, All India Radio and Doordarshan centers. He was also going to form four small task groups under responsible officers to inform the Prime Minister, the Vice President, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of Opposition of the proclamation of emergency and dismissal of the Government and the Parliament.

  The Chief of Air Staff was going to organize the security of the civilian airfields but air traffic will not be disturbed. He will also organize the aerial surveillance of
the cities.

  All the commanders of the Army, Air Force and Naval Commands would be called to Delhi for a conference and they must reach Delhi before the emergency is declared. They will be called for a briefing by the President immediately after the emergency is declared

  Secrecy is most important. All activities were to be carried out under a suitable cover plan. No one will be told of their missions before 2300 hours tomorrow. No physical movement of troops will be permitted till 2300 hours. No one whatsoever was to be informed of the decision that has been taken till the appointed hour.

  All troops would be put on full alert immediately after the emergency was declared.

  The President asked the Chiefs if they had any doubts and questions. The Chief of Army Staff asked if troops could open fire if required. The President replied in the affirmative. There being no other questions the meeting was terminated. Before the Chiefs dispersed, the President again stressed the need for complete secrecy.

  At 11 AM the Chief Justice arrived. After the usual exchange of greetings and a cup of tea, the President swore the Chief Justice to secrecy and informed him of his decision to declare Internal Emergency and asked for his support. He stated that the independence of the judiciary was under threat and this was the only way the Constitution could be saved. He assured him that under no circumstance would the emergency be extended beyond six months and elections would be held within five months. After a lengthy deliberation the Chief Justice agreed to the President’s plan. There after they discussed constitutional aspects of the emergency.

  The President told the Chief Justice that it was likely that some of the political parties would file suits in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the declaration of emergency. No stay should be issued. The suits should be admitted and heard by a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court. However the cases would have to be prolonged for about a month and judgment reserved. This would allow for enough time to make the situation a fate accomplii. The Chief Justice nodded his agreement and left.

  The President felt relieved that the plan had been launched without a hitch. He had a hearty meal with his wife. He suggested to her that she should take some time off and visit her daughter at New York immediately. She agreed to his suggestion. He rang his secretary and asked him to make the necessary travel arrangement for the next day. He then had a short rest and sat down to work out the details of the plan and prepare his speech for declaring the emergency.

  The Chief of Army Staff returned to his office and asked the ADC to ensure that he was not disturbed. He also told the Vice Chief to inform the Army Commanders that they were to report to Delhi by the next evening for a conference the day after. He then began to plan how the operations were to be carried out. The troops in Delhi came under the GOC-in-C Western Command. It may create a problem if he passed orders directly to the troops in Delhi. He decided to talk to the Army Commander and informed him of his intention to have the troops in Delhi mobilized. The Army Commander asked him if there was any problem. The Chief assured him that there were none. He would explain the reasons at the conference which was to be held the day after. He told his Military Attaché to ask the GOC Delhi area to meet him at 3 PM.

  The Chief of Army Staff suddenly realized that the GOC Delhi Area was supposed to be very close to the Defense Minister. To ensure security of the plans it may be desirable to get him out of the way during the crucial period. So when the GOC came to see him he told him about the mobilization exercise he was going to hold to test his Deputy GOC. He also told him that he wanted him to go to Headquarters Eastern Command by the evening flight the next day and carry out a detailed check of the Top Secret documents of the Command Head Quarters. He also told him to issue the necessary orders for the mobilization exercise and to tell the Deputy GOC to report to him after the troops were mobilized and before the orders to deploy was given.

  The mobilization orders were issued to the troops in Delhi at 9 AM the next day. This was followed by the usual drills. The troops loaded vehicles as per the loading tables. Additional troop carrying vehicles were hired. Weapons and practice ammunition were issued to the men. Heavier weapons including artillery, tanks and armored vehicles were brought to fighting readiness. Troops got into battle dress and along with their weapons got into a state of readiness to board the vehicle. Reports reached the Deputy GOC, Brig SK Sharma, who went around inspecting units. Once he was satisfied, he went and reported to the Chief of Army Staff. The Chief told him to keep the troops in a state of readiness. The troops should be given a hot meal by 1900 hrs and carry packed breakfast and one days emergency rations. He was to await further orders at his office and all commanding officers were to remain in their offices till further orders.

  At the Rashtrapati Bhavan the President found time hanging around him. The draft of his address to the nation proclaiming emergency was ready. But he had not yet got it typed. He did not want to communicate with the Chiefs for the fear of the plan leaking out. He hoped that things were going as per plan. He continued to feign illness and remained confined to his rooms. He saw no other visitors.

  The Prime Minister's office monitored the happenings at Rashtrapati Bhavan. There were no reports of unusual activity except that the President was mildly indisposed. The news of mobilization of troops in Delhi had been received. But the army kept playing these silly games to keep themselves busy. So no special importance was attached to these reports.

  At 7 PM the flight carrying the GOC Delhi Area left for Calcutta. At 7.30, the Army Chief called the Deputy GOC to his office. Once he arrived, he was ushered into his study. The Chief then offered him a drink and briefed him about the President's intentions and the role he was required to play. He told him that he was required to send armored columns for protection of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Central Secretariat, television and radio stations. He was also to form six teams headed by responsible Colonels or Lt. Cols. with armed escorts of platoon strength each and send them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to deliver the Presidential Proclamation to the Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition and two spare. He was to keep four columns of infantry of company strength each headed by a major as reserve to meet any eventualities. He was to activate the operations room and be present there and keep him informed. He was to call his order group to his office at 2300 hours. No move to be made before 2330 hours. He should now make out his orders and show them to him before he left. He should also pass an order to the units at 2200 hours for issue of 50 rounds of live ammunition to the troops. However fire should be opened only if the situation goes out of hand and even then only minimum force should be used.

  Brig Sharma used the Chief’s telephone to pass instructions to his order group to assemble at his office at 2300 hours for orders. He then sat in the Chief's study and made his plans and discussed them with the Chief. At 2200 hours he issued the instructions for issue of ammunition to the troops. At 2230 hours he left the Chiefs residence and returned to his office. His order group was waiting for him.

  The President called his ADC to his room at 2200 hours and told him what was going to happen. He gave him the hand written copy of the Proclamation and told him to get the document typed and six copies were to be brought to him for his signature and fixing his seal. The typing was to be done in his presence and the clerk was to be kept in custody till midnight so that he could not communicate with any body till the Proclamation of Emergency had been made. ADC left to get the documents prepared. By 2300 hours the ADC had returned with the papers. These were duly signed and sealed. He told the ADC to inform the guard commander of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to expect an armored column and some officers to arrive. He was to be informed of the arrival of the columns and the officers were to be brought to him when they arrived. The President then waited for things to happen.

  At 2330 hours, the roads of New Delhi were not very crowded. As the armored columns moved out of Delhi Cantonment, the few on the roads gazed at t
he monstrous rumbling machines and the troop loaded vehicles and wondered what was happening. By midnight all columns had reached their destinations. The team led by Col. Dixit reached the television center and walked into the duty officer's room. He handed him the Presidential Proclamation and asked him to interrupt the program and broadcast the Presidents message. The Duty Officer said that he needed authorization from his superiors. Col. Dixit took out his pistol and ordered him to do as he was told.

  The President had switched on the television. He heard the announcer say that there was a special announcement from the President. He called the ADC to wake up his press secretary and ask him to call a news conference at 2 AM and inform all TV channels. Things had begun to happen. He turned back to the television.

  Back to Contents