Coffin Scam Resurfaces With Old Ghosts

25 Jan 2002
Times News Network

New Delhi: Though it is not clear where they were obtained from, shiny new aluminium caskets of the ‘coffin scam’ fame were the star exhibits at a press conference held on Thursday to denounce the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) — and the media — for highlighting irregularities in the Kargil-era purchase of 150 coffins. ‘Activist’ and pamphleteer RV Pandit, who hosted the press conference, vigorously defended George Fernandes and casket supplier Victor Baiza.

A pamphlet written by Pandit and distributed by a Samata party activist termed the ‘coffin scam’ a minor defence ministry ‘‘goof-up’’. It suggested the defence ministry — which found the caskets unusable — should induct the caskets and drop its case against baiza for recovery of money already paid to him.

For Pandit, however, the real culprit is the CAG: ‘‘His report is half-baked, almost intentionally malicious.’’ Pandit also attacked the Times of India for first reporting the CAG’s allegations. Pandit’s pamphlet, which otherwise draws freely on internal defence ministry papers, contains crucial omissions. ‘‘At no time ever did the commander of the Indian forces in Somalia authenticate the price tag of $172...in 1994 for transporting the 11 bodies of indian personnel,’’ writes pandit.

But the CAG based its report on official documents. Maj M Sajjad of the Somalia-based 66 Infantry brigade wrote in December 1994 ‘‘for’’ his ‘‘commander’’ that ‘‘the approximate cost of casket and body bags are as follows: casket - $ 172’’.

Pandit also said the CAG had no basis to assert that 75 per cent of the casket price was accounted for by the cost of aluminium. However, the CAG took this figure from the minutes of the MOD’s price negotiating committee, another document Pandit chose not to reproduce.

Also present at the press conference was MP and former Army chief Shanker Roychoudhary. However, not everything he said meshed fully with the message Pandit wanted to convey. For example, while answering questions, Gen Roychoudhary said the controversial deal needed to be inquired into since the army has declared the coffins unfit for use. He also felt the fact that DRDO and R&DE pune had indicated their willingness to manufacture these caskets indigenously is a ‘‘major aspect’’ of the controversy that needs to be looked into.

Pandit, on the other hand, argued that the MOD was entirely at fault for having asked Baiza to supply die-pressed caskets weighing 18 kilos when the us army did not insist on such specifications. But even though Baiza signed a contract with the MOD’s specifications only to renege on the terms of the contract, Pandit said the government should accept his caskets.

And though it was the MOD which referred the caskets’ purchase to the CAG as part of a special audit of Kargil-related deals, Pandit insisted that the media was wrong to report that the caskets were meant for the Kargil war.