● #𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 | Lt Gen S.P.P Thorat - The General Who Knew That 1962 Sino-Indian War Was Going to Happen in 1959 Itself, But Was Ignored by System !
Lt Gen SPP Thorat was accused of being an ‘Alarmist & A Warmonger’ By then Defence Minister VK Krishna Menon
Read More [1/N]
Lt. Gen. SPP Thorat reported about China’s threat to India border on October 8, 1959. Thorat, then responsible for the Eastern Command, sent a paper on the defence of NEFA ( North East Frontier Agency) to the Army Chief who forwarded it to the Defence Minister Krishna Menon.
Not only that, on March 17, 1960, Lt Gen SPP Thorat, commanding the Eastern Command, conducted a military exercise called “Exercise Lal Quila” that accurately predicted timing & nature of a possible Chinese attack
It was attended by all Principal Staff Officers from Army HQ.
It was clearly brought out that, with the troops, weapons and equipment available at that time, a Chinese attack could not be contained or defeated & ‘forward policy’, advocated by Defence Minister & General Officer commanding the North East, Lt Gen BM Kaul, was not practical.
Lt Gen Kaul differed with the assessment of Lt Gen SPP Thorat. Defence Minister Menon even called Lt Gen Thorat a warmonger, and never sent the Lal Quila report to the Prime Minister.
Later, during a discussion on ‘forward policy’ at the Prime Minister’s Office, Intelligence czar BM Mullick, who had close links with the CIA, opined that the Chinese would not react.
BN Mulick is Also responsible for the 1962 war Failures.
More than two years before the first wave of Chinese troops ran over the border on October 20, 1962, Lt-Gen Thorat had warned of the impending crisis. The Exercise Lal Qila was held on March 17, 1960.
What emerges from The roughly 100-page top secret papers is that the use of the Indian Air Force in an offensive role was integral to the Army's war plans
But then defence minister V.K. Krishna Menon, was not interested in professional military advice
Lt Gen Thorat wrote that the task was to "defend our territory and that of Sikkim against aggression from Pakistan and China and be prepared to give military assistance to Nepal and maintain law and order in the Naga Hills and Tuensang Agency (NHTA)".
After Menon took over the Defence Ministry, Thorat, had fallen out of Menon’s favours.
When Thimayya retired in May 1961, it was expected that Thorat would succeed him as the Army Chief.
He was highly decorated, had combat experience, and was held in high regard in the Service.
Intimidation by PM office :
At 8 am on June 24, 1961, Lt Gen Thorat received a letter from Army Chief who had been ‘asked’ by PM for his comments “on the following allegations against you [Thorat] which have come to his notice.” By the evening Thorat had answered all points
Afterwards, when PM Nehru called Gen Thorat
Lt.Gen Thorat’s 50-page report ‘Lal Quila’ was finally seen by Prime Minister Nehru when the 1962 war was nearing its end.
The meeting was initially tense as Nehru read the report & was stunned when Gen Thorat said the Chinese would withdraw from occupied territories
It is said that after the war Nehru realized how right Lt. Gen. SPP Thorat had been in his assessments & predictions. It was too late.
Ignoring Report of Lt. Gen SPP Thorat by VK Monon, Lt Gen Kaul & BM Mullick & Nehru caused 1962 Sino-Indian War A bloody border war between India & China
India lost a significant amount of territory in war, including 38,000 sq km of Aksai Chin in the extreme northeast of Ladakh
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.