Fighting for Justice - Army

FROM: Sebastian Thomas (Army No: 6390340L),
                Cherukanam House, Thimiri PO, Kannur, Kerala – 670 581
                Phone: 8078044240 Email: seban1969@gmail.com

TO:         AG’s Branch (Coord), Room No 207, South Block, New Delhi - 110011

REF:     (a) MoD ID No. 15/3728/Kerala/2017-D(Res-II) dated 11/08/2017
             (b) President’s Secretariat Letter No Pl/E/1407170144 dated 14/07/2017

Sir,

I am yet to receive any communication on this from your department. May I know its progress please?

Justice has been denied to me for more than two decades now. I request you not to drag it like this further. Please take action on it and ensure justice to me immediately.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Yours faithfully,

Place: Kannur, Kerala

Dated: 03 October 2017                                                                                  (Sebastian Thomas)

Copy to:

Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Defence, South Block, New Delhi - 110001	Simply forwarding application to some other department is not enough, it can be done by anyone. Ensuring timely action on this is what is important. Please ensure that proper action is being taken on my application.
Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, D (Res-II)	You have forwarded my application to just another department. Do you think that your responsibility ends there? Is this what you are supposed to do after drawing huge amount as salary from the tax even I paid? Indian President and his communication have no value at all? Please ensure that action is being taken on my application.
Honourable President of India	Thank you very much for sending my application to concerned department for further action. However, though I received a communication from MoD (Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare D Res-II) mentioned above, there was no communication on this thereafter. This is the kind of treatment they give to you and your communications, then how can I, a mere Sapper, expect justice from these people, Mr. President? Please ensure justice to me.
Bipin Rawat, Army Chief	You are still silent on my case. Why? I don’t deserve justice?
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India	I have received response even from President Secretariat. But your office didn’t find it necessary to give even a response, leave alone justice to an honest person. It is not big talks but honest actions aimed at ensuring maximum welfare to all what is required and expected from you, Mr. Prime Minister. If you cannot ensure justice to me, an honest person a rare species seen in India, you are a complete failure.
Defence Minister of India	You are still silent on my case. Why? I don’t deserve justice?
National Human Rights Commission, GPO Complex, INA, Delhi - 23	You are time and again proving that NHRC is a waste.
Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala	You sent my application to Secretary-GAD (Sainik Welfare). You didn’t even find it necessary to give postal address of that department but asked me to contact them for further information on this. Great, simply great.
Director, Directorate of Sainik Welfare, Vikas Bhavan, Trivandrum, Kerala, India – 695033	Directorate of Sainik Welfare letter no B-3/7364/2016/DSW dated 04/03/2017 addressed to Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section) Secretariat, Trivandrum
Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section), Secretariat, Trivandrum, Kerala	I haven’t received any communication on this from you. What are you all doing there? How many times should I beg before you all for justice? Should I please you now by licking your ass for you to take some action on this? I have been begging for justice for the last two decades, do you understand?
Zila Sainik Welfare Office, Civil Station,  Kannur - 2	I had requested you to send a fresh report with accurate information in it. Did you do that?
OIC Records, BEG, Roorkee – 908779, C/O 56 APO	Send me my Service Particulars immediately.

Note: Now you all will find fault in my language but don’t forget the fact that I had been begging for justice for more than two decades now but in vain. You all find ‘ONE REQUESTING FOR SOMETHING’ as one’s weakness and ignore such requests. You do so because you all lack integrity and individuality and that is why you are all still in service now. Therefore, don’t find fault but take action to ensure justice to me so that I can give you all due respect.

------------------------------------------------------------

FROM: SEBASTIAN THOMAS (RANK: SAPPER, ARMY NO: 6390340L),
                CHERUKANAM HOUSE, THIMIRI PO, KANNUR, KERALA, INDIA – 670 581

TO:         DIRECTOR, DIRECTORATE OF SAINIK WELFARE, VIKAS BHAVAN,
                TRIVANDRUM, KERALA, INDIA – 695033

REF:

1.       DIRECTORATE OF SAINIK WELFARE LETTER NO B-3/7364/2016/DSW DATED 04/03/2017 ADDRESSED TO SECRETARY (SAINIK WELFARE SECTION), SECRETARIAT, TRIVANDRUM

2.       ZILA SAINIK WELFARE OFFICE, KANNUR LETTER NO HC/FD/3911/2016 DATED 13/02/17

3.       DIRECTORARE OF SAINIK WELFARE LETTER NO B-3/7364/2016/DSW DATED 15/06/2016

Sir,

When contacted, I came to know that the report on my Army dismissal and imprisonment has been sent to Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section), Secretariat, Trivandrum, Kerala.

As you are already aware through the letters mentioned above, I was dismissed and was put in prison for 6 months when I raised my voice against corruption and slavery rampant in the Army.

Last 2 decades, I have been begging for justice but in vain. Even here, I had given my application to the then Chief Minister on 17/12/13 but your letter shows that action on it has been initiated only in June 2016 and then you got the response on 13 Feb 2017 only. That is the kind of lackadaisical attitude I see almost everywhere in India and now it is proved beyond doubt that even Army is not an exception which is unfortunate.

What is even more shocking is the fact that the person who sent the report failed to provide even my Army number correctly, leave alone the report itself. The report proves that a soldier will remain a coward even after retirement. You may find it as a controversial statement but no, it is not. When I explained about the corruption, slavery and malpractices in the Army and my fight against them, the person who had come to my home to enquire told that he too had experienced the same while in the Army but had no courage to fight against it for fear of disciplinary action! When I showed him the list signed by all soldiers in my platoon showing the rampant corruption, he said he too had seen such corruption while in service. But still he didn’t mention anything about it in the report and prepared it as though I was against the Army itself, not against the corruption and slavery which is unfortunate.

For him, his pension is what important, nothing else is. I will not blame him considering the experiences I had when I took a different stand on all these.

I hereby attach that list. What that list reveals is tip of iceberg. Now you know about Adarsh Scam, Helicopter Scam and even Coffin Scam, they didn’t spare even Soldiers’ dead bodies. But still I didn’t get justice because according to you all, I am a mere Sapper, right?

Last few years, I have been trying to get the SCM proceedings and Service Particulars but the response I received from Army is again disappointing. They said the SCM proceeding had been destroyed already. Now they are not ready to give even my Service Particulars. Please find attached the correspondence I had with them.

You know I consider my dismissal and imprisonment as PARAM VIR CHAKRA because even the Army Chief, though he had the power to act, failed to do what I, a mere Sapper, did and that is the only reason why he is an Army Chief now. When I was fighting against corruption and slavery rampant in the Army which culminated in my unceremonious exit from the Army, he kept silent on all these and was pleasing his bosses for the sake of his career and promotion.

It is not Pakistan but the very corrupt and unjust system in India is our number one enemy.

I admit I had sent letters to the President of India and that way violated the channel of correspondence but I did that only when I came to know that the officers in that channel was not against corruption, because they were part of corruption, but was against me. My life was in danger. I had made allegations against my officers but they did not bring that in the charge sheet (Army Act 56 – False Accusations) but mentioned only about violating channel because if they had mentioned about the allegations in the charge sheet, it would have put them in a difficult situation to explain it as there were enough evidence to substantiate my allegations.

Is a list signed by all soldiers in a platoon not enough to prove the corruption rampant there? If not, why Army didn’t charge all those signed that list with Army Act 37 – Mutiny? That list was enough; I repeat that list was enough to punish the actual culprits. But the corrupt officers found it easy dismissing me, the one who fought against corruption.

What I need is not any favor from anyone but justice and therefore, please send a report that contains facts to the authorities concerned. And as you are a Welfare Officer, it is your responsibility to follow up with them till justice is ensured to me.

Thanking you in anticipation.

                                                                                                            Yours faithfully,

Place: Kannur, Kerala

Dated:   24 June 2017                                                                          (Sebastian Thomas)

Attachments:

1	Letter dated 13/08/96 to the then Army Chief
2	Note written by 2nd Lt Bhavana Vij (she gave it to me on 15/08/96) appreciating my efforts
3	Letter dated 20/02/97 to CE, Eastern Command to show him the poor quality of fruit issued. He had taken quick action and all soldiers received high standard food for a couple of weeks then onward but then again the quality dropped down drastically which forced me to take up this matter again.
4	A list prepared based on order by our Commanding Officer and signed by all soldiers in my platoon showing the level of corruption rampant in the Army. What BSF Jawan Tej Bahadur Jadav revealed recently in a video is neither false nor an isolated one but a reality and the list attached proves that it is there everywhere in the Army.
5	Acknowledgement received from Rashtrapathi Bhavan. See, they had forwarded my complaint to the same Defence where corruption was/is rampant. Adarsh Scam, Helicopter Scam and even Coffin Scam. I say even these are just tip of iceberg.
6	Letter from Chief of Staff recommending disciplinary action against me. According to him, even the list signed by all soldiers was not substantial evidence. There was one more reason why he did so. He had misused Army vehicles, properties and soldiers for his daughter’s marriage and I had lodged a complaint against that.
7	Posting Order. This is what Army does when a soldier raises his voice against corruption and slavery. Normally a soldier is posted for 3 years (exception is border area posting due to extreme climate there) but when I fought against corruption, they posted me to a regiment (I had already served in a regiment (61 Engr Regt) before my Calcutta posting) prematurely within one year. If I had obeyed that order, I would not have been alive now to write this but would have got killed by them in any fake encounter.
8	Copy of the Charge Sheet. Please note, they had not mentioned anything about the corruption accusations I made with solid proof but just brought violation of channel in it to save them.
9	Letter I sent to Chief Justice of India seeking help and copy to the President of India. Very unfortunate, they don’t have time to address these issues. Very unfortunate.
10	Paper Cutting on my dismissal from the Army and imprisonment. It was published by those soldiers who had benefited earlier from my fight and they did it when I was in prison.
11	Letter sent to the President of India seeking justice. There was no response from there.
12	Hospital note showing my 10 days hunger strike. I ended it when the then Kannur MP Mullappally Ramachandran promised help.
13	Letter to Mullappalli Ramachandran MP. See his Secretary’s sign on it. He then put my complaint in the waste box and then blamed then non-Congress Government at the centre.
14	Letter received from National Human Rights Commission. Another waste.
15	Letter received from an Advocate. When I approached Kerala High Court, they advised me to approach Calcutta High Court. How a person with empty pocket will go to Calcutta, hire an advocate to file a case there? Court is least worried about such questions.
16	When I came to know about Armed Forces Tribunal, I approached an advocate. He first asked me after going through my file, “How come you have not become a Naxalite yet?”  He then assured assistance and asked me to get a copy of SCM proceedings from the Army. But Army vide their letter dated 23/08/13 says they destroyed it. How such important documents can be destroyed?
17	Then I approached them with my letter dated 15/02/17 to get at least my Service Particulars but there is no response from them till date.

CC:

Bipin Rawat, Army Chief	When I asked the SCM proceedings, Army said it was destroyed. When I asked my Service Particulars, there is no response till date. Is this the standard of Indian Army? Mr.General, your duty is not to please your bosses and politicians for your career growth but ensuring maximum welfare to the soldiers and keeping them fighting fit in all respect to face the challenges from across the border and from within. And soldiers’ duty is not to wash your wife’s undergarments and taking your dogs out for loo. Hope I made it clear. What action did you take when you saw corruption rampant in the Army? I say you did nothing because if you had done, you would not have been an Army Chief now. Subhash Chandra Bose, the founder of Indian Army said, “Not injustice but suffering injustice silently is a greater crime.” If so, I am the only one who is valiant and honest, all others in the Army are criminals because they are all suffering injustice meted out on them silently. Study my case and ensure justice to me. If you do so, I will salute you and if not, you don’t deserve it. Give me my service back, give me my dues and most importantly give me a letter appreciating my efforts so that I can show that to my daughter to make her feel proud of her father.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India	Mr.Modi, my daughter eats beef. Cow is not her mother, I am sure of that. If you believe that cow is your mother, you may believe, though it makes you blind or you believe so because you are blind I am sure, but don’t try to impose that on my daughter, do you understand? She must be allowed to eat beef from anywhere in India because that is her way of life and she is living in a democratic country and therefore, her fundamental right. You or anyone else has no right to impose such stupid belief on her. When I said my daughter, I mean any child irrespective of his/her caste, creed or religion. Children living anywhere on this planet must be spared from baseless belief systems and stupid rituals (classic example is circumcision, a ritual nothing short of cruelty on humanity imposed on children without their consent or knowledge) at least till they are mature enough to take decisions on their own so as to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform in them as described in Article 51A (H) of the great constitution of our great nation. Cow Slaughter Ban is neither Central nor State government‘s subject but an unacceptable intrusion by majority on people’s way of living and therefore, all such laws enacted by state or central government must be nullified with immediate effect. When you impose your stupid cow belief on others, you are in fact taking the nation back to stone age. That is not your duty, Mr. Prime Minister. You have to take them forward and for that, you must have a vision for a bright future for our children and the generations yet to come because they are our future, certainly not your cow belief. Hope it is clear now. Read this blog to understand it better: http://seban15081969.blogspot.in/2014/03/i-have-that-dream.html
Pranab Mukherjee, President of India	You are the Supreme Commandant of Armed Forces and therefore, you have the responsibility to ensure justice to me. Whenever I approached you with grievances, you forwarded that to Army itself! Do you expect the offenders ensuring justice to the one who raised his voice against them? Don’t forget that when you were part of Central Government, there were corruption rampant in this country and you kept silence all the time and that is why you got consensus to become the President of India. In that respect, I am a better citizen because I never compromised on such things even after losing my job and imprisonment. I repeat, I am not asking any favor from you but justice, justice only. You must ensure that justice to me please.
Defence Minister of India	You must ensure justice to me, a valiant and honest soldier.
National Human Rights Commission, GPO Complex, INA, Delhi - 23	Don’t you find human rights violation in my case? Don’t you find it necessary to ensure justice to me? Very unfortunate.
Chief Minister, Kerala	Now a report was submitted to Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section), Secretariat, Trivandrum on my case based on my complaint to the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his Jana Samparkka Paripadi held in Kannur in 2013. Please ensure justice to me. In the same Jana Samparkka Paripadi, the then Chief Minister had granted 50 Lakhs for Checkicheri-Napa-Cherupara Panchayat Road tarring but not even a single stone laid there till date. They looted that money. Please investigate.
Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section), Secretariat, Trivandrum, Kerala	With reference to Directorate of Sainik Welfare letter no B-3/7364/2016/DSW dated 04/03/17, please consider the important evidences attached with this mail and send a report with facts to the concerned authorities and follow up till justice is ensured.
Zila Sainik Welfare Office, Civil Station,  Kannur - 2	Your lackadaisical attitude is not acceptable. You didn’t find it necessary to at least give my Army number correctly in the report which is unfortunate. It shows the level of seriousness you have shown on this matter. Then how can one expect a proper report with facts from you? Very unfortunate.
Records, BEG, Roorkee – 908779, C/O 56 APO	I had sought Service Particulars and SCM Proceedings. You destroyed even my Service Particulars? I am sure NO. Please send it immediately.

BCC:

International Court of Justice, Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ, The Hague, The Netherlands

It is not Pakistan but the corrupt and unjust system in India is India’s number one enemy. When I fought against that system with solid proof in hand, I was dismissed from my service and put in prison for 6 months. Justice is denied to me for more than 2 decades since then. I request your kind intervention on this matter.

FROM: Sebastian Thomas (Army No: 6390340L),
                Cherukanam House, Thimiri PO, Kannur, Kerala – 670 581
                Phone: 8078044240 Email: seban1969@gmail.com

TO:         AG’s Branch (Coord), Room No 207, South Block, New Delhi - 110011

REF:     (a) MoD ID No. 15/3728/Kerala/2017-D(Res-II) dated 11/08/2017
             (b) President’s Secretariat Letter No Pl/E/1407170144 dated 14/07/2017

Sir,

I am yet to receive any communication on this from your department. May I know its progress please?

Justice has been denied to me for more than two decades now. I request you not to drag it like this further. Please take action on it and ensure justice to me immediately.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Yours faithfully,

Place: Kannur, Kerala

Dated: 03 October 2017                                                                                  (Sebastian Thomas)

Copy to:

Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Defence, South Block, New Delhi - 110001	Simply forwarding application to some other department is not enough, it can be done by anyone. Ensuring timely action on this is what is important. Please ensure that proper action is being taken on my application.
Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, D (Res-II)	You have forwarded my application to just another department. Do you think that your responsibility ends there? Is this what you are supposed to do after drawing huge amount as salary from the tax even I paid? Indian President and his communication have no value at all? Please ensure that action is being taken on my application.
Honourable President of India	Thank you very much for sending my application to concerned department for further action. However, though I received a communication from MoD (Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare D Res-II) mentioned above, there was no communication on this thereafter. This is the kind of treatment they give to you and your communications, then how can I, a mere Sapper, expect justice from these people, Mr. President? Please ensure justice to me.
Bipin Rawat, Army Chief	You are still silent on my case. Why? I don’t deserve justice?
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India	I have received response even from President Secretariat. But your office didn’t find it necessary to give even a response, leave alone justice to an honest person. It is not big talks but honest actions aimed at ensuring maximum welfare to all what is required and expected from you, Mr. Prime Minister. If you cannot ensure justice to me, an honest person a rare species seen in India, you are a complete failure.
Defence Minister of India	You are still silent on my case. Why? I don’t deserve justice?
National Human Rights Commission, GPO Complex, INA, Delhi - 23	You are time and again proving that NHRC is a waste.
Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala	You sent my application to Secretary-GAD (Sainik Welfare). You didn’t even find it necessary to give postal address of that department but asked me to contact them for further information on this. Great, simply great.
Director, Directorate of Sainik Welfare, Vikas Bhavan, Trivandrum, Kerala, India – 695033	Directorate of Sainik Welfare letter no B-3/7364/2016/DSW dated 04/03/2017 addressed to Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section) Secretariat, Trivandrum
Secretary (Sainik Welfare Section), Secretariat, Trivandrum, Kerala	I haven’t received any communication on this from you. What are you all doing there? How many times should I beg before you all for justice? Should I please you now by licking your ass for you to take some action on this? I have been begging for justice for the last two decades, do you understand?
Zila Sainik Welfare Office, Civil Station,  Kannur - 2	I had requested you to send a fresh report with accurate information in it. Did you do that?
OIC Records, BEG, Roorkee – 908779, C/O 56 APO	Send me my Service Particulars immediately.

Note: Now you all will find fault in my language but don’t forget the fact that I had been begging for justice for more than two decades now but in vain. You all find ‘ONE REQUESTING FOR SOMETHING’ as one’s weakness and ignore such requests. You do so because you all lack integrity and individuality and that is why you are all still in service now. Therefore, don’t find fault but take action to ensure justice to me so that I can give you all due respect.