V K Singh keeps away from ex-Army chiefs' meet

The Army on Thursday briefed its former chiefs on the current security and operational scenario faced by the 1.3 million-strong force but V K Singh could not attend the meet due to 'previous commitments'.

The bi-annual former Army Chiefs' Conclave was hosted by Army chief Gen Bikram Singh during which the former chiefs gave meaningful suggestions for improving the force, Army officials said. Welfare measures taken by the force for ex-servicemen was also discussed.

The former chiefs who attended the meeting at the Army Headquarters included Deepak Kapoor, J J Singh, N C Vij, S Padmanabhan, V P Malik and V N Sharma.

The two previous chiefs who could attend the meet included V K Singh and Shankar Roychowdhary.

Bikram Singh's immediate predecessor V K Singh expressed his inability to attend the function due to previous commitments, they said.

V K Singh has in recent past been involved in agitations against the government and had also joined a 'gherao' of Parliament over the demands of sugarcane farmers in the country.

Radhika Bewoor, wife of G G bewoor, and Vani Sundarji, wife of K Sundarji, also attended the conclave.

The practice of calling former chiefs was initiated when Vij was the Army Chief and that was one of the last few occasions when Field Marshal S H F J Manekshaw attended any official ceremony in the capital.

The meeting is usually held around the Army Commanders' Conference but it was held more than a month after that meeting which took place in October.