In the column, “An unequal position for soldiers” (November 6), Karan Thapar notes how the armed forces have been discriminated against by the government. The reasons are neither far to seek nor difficult to appreciate. Their salaries, protocol and status are decided by bureaucrats, who have little first-hand knowledge of their onerous responsibilities and adverse work conditions. It is impossible for bureaucrats to imagine the rigour of vigilance duty at Siachen.
Second, the practice of the chief of the forces reporting to the defence secretary has created a notion of superiority in the latter although the relationship should be one of
