Air Force clamps down on `dissidents’

Sources also told this newspaper that The Indian Express had been “banned” at certain Air Force units. Meanwhile, the wife of Wing Commander K R Nagesh, Hema Nagesh, was reported to be in a state of emotional disturbance, following the news that her husband had been admitted to the psychiatric ward in the Base Hospital in New Delhi in an “acute paranoid state”. Some officers’ wives had tried to contact the Karnataka Governor at Raj Bhavan but failed.

A plan to meet him at Raj Bhavan was later abandoned. The Nagesh incident has scared Air Force personnel stiff. Many of them, including those The Indian Express tried to contact, and those who called up this paper, expressed the fear of something similar happening to them.

Most refused to talk about the issue on defence establishment exchange lines for the fear of their being tapped. Others warned of the strong likelihood of even civil lines, including those of journalists following the story, being tapped.

Meanwhile, senior IAF officers, in service and retired, both fighter pilots and technical officers, lament the snowballing of the crisis, and its possible consequences.

Said one top-ranking officer, a pilot: “The Chief of Staff should look after everybody’s interests. Pilots undergo rigorous training, and fly costly, complex aircraft. Theirs is a high risk job. But others can’t be left in the lurch.” He continued, “IAF’s image as a disciplined force is gone for ever.”

A retired Air Vice Marshal of the technical branch said: “What will happen to our defence preparedness? What signal are we sending out? But I believe our boys will never ditch the country in a crunch situation.” The 70,000 odd technical airmen, who work under the 2,800 odd officers, reiterate their fear that the officers may get their due, and they will be the odd ones out.