“The best army chief the country never had: Lt Gen SK Sinha and the cost of principled dissent”, First Post, April 21, 2026
““Nice guys finish second.” This may sound like a cliché, but it reveals how a system truly works — a system where meek obedience is rewarded, but principled dissent is discouraged, and at times punished. One can recall several such instances. To this, a new book adds another compelling story.
This is the story of Lt Gen SK Sinha. His story, as recounted in Probal Dasgupta’s General Brasstacks: The Sundarji Story, isn’t just about one officer being overlooked. It is, more importantly, about how a person gets marginalised and castigated for his constructive dissent. And how it costs the nation immensely.
The backdrop is Punjab of the 1980s, when it was simmering with tension. Brutality and violence had become a way of life in Punjab, more so after the rise of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The latter was not just a fringe religious figure but a political creation gone rogue. What began as a cynical Congress tactic to undercut the Akalis had mutated into a full-blown Frankenstein that refused to go down without causing mayhem of unprecedented proportions…….”
Read full article at firstpost.com
