B.M. Kaul

B. M. Kaul

Brij Mohan Kaul was the flamboyant, controversial general who resigned in the aftermath of the Indian military debacle in the Indo-China War of 1962. He was a Kings Commissioned Indian Officer from Sandhurst (1933), who was an infantry officer with the East Surrey Regiment, who later switched to the Army Supply Corps during the end of Second World War, because ASC was a higher paying job and he needed the money for treatment of his ailing stepmother. He served as the divisional commander of 4th Infantry Division, Chief of General Staff and finally as the commander of IV Corps during the 1962 War.

Kaul was a close confidante of both Nehru and V.K.Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister. It is believed he was promoted over other more deserving officers because of his proximity to senior Cabinet ministers. The Indian Army lacked leadership, equipment for mountain warfare, weaponry, and basic essentials like warm clothing, snow boots, and glasses. Kaul deputed Indian soldiers into controversial, disputed lands, and was confident that China would not retaliate. Hence, he did not requisition any other supplies in preparation of war. When the Chinese retaliated and took India by surprise, Kaul was not at his station, and was instead in Delhi. It is this irresponsibility on the part of Kaul that made him resign following India's defeat.