Page 73 - Leadership in the Indian Army

personnel were wrong and resulted in the demobilization of several excellent
officers and men, who had served with distinction during World War II. He also
felt that the four-year tenure system had been proposed by Atal, primarily to
ensure his own promotion as Army Commander.
Nathu Singh’s letter was brought to the notice of the Prime Minister, who
dismissed his allegations. This was not surprising, considering that Atal was a
Kashmiri and close to Nehru. As for Nathu Singh, the Government of India’s
‘displeasure’ was conveyed to him for trying to impugn the character and military
reputation of another officer. Later, in 1952, he sent a representation regarding his
extension of service directly to the Defence Minister.
These letters and representations did little to endear Nathu Singh to the
bureaucrats and politicians of the day. In marked contrast, the British government
had taken no cognizance of the letter he had written to the C-in-C in 1946,
protesting against the trial of INA prisoners. Little wonder, then that Nathu Singh,
despite his dislike of the British, could not help but admire their sense of fair play.
Always ready to take them on if they said anything derogatory about India, he did
admit:

If you take the best of them, we have never produced anyone quite like them. I have not known a British
officer who placed his own interests before his country’s and I have hardly known any Indian officers
who did not.
Whatever one may say about the propriety of Nathu Singh’s representation, it is
difficult to refute the logic of his arguments. The four-year rule ensured that senior
officers retired at a comparatively young age—Cariappa at 53, Nathu Singh at 51,
and Thimayya and Thorat at 55. This was at a time when the Indian Army needed
officers with experience and was even considering retaining British officers for
several years. In fact, the British heads of technical arms, such as Engineers and
Signals—Major General Harold Williams and Brigadier C.H.I. Akehurst—
continued up to seven years after Independence, as did the C-in-C of the Navy,
Vice Admiral C.T.M. Pizey. The only persons affected by the four-year rule were
the Army Chief and the Army Commanders—posts that needed experience the
most.
Nathu Singh retired on 1 February 1953, exactly 15 days after Cariappa retired
as C-in-C of the Indian Army. He did not grudge Maharaj Rajendra Sinhji his
promotion to C-in-C. But he did feel that denying an extension to him was unjust.
Had he been allowed to continue, he would have automatically succeeded
Rajendra Sinhji when the latter retired in March 1955. After his retirement, there
were strong rumours that he was being appointed governor of a state. After all, he
was just 51 years old and in the prime of his life. A known nationalist, his loyalty
and integrity were beyond reproach. He had many admirers, one of whom was
Sarojini Naidu. She was still the Governor of the United Provinces, and spoke to