From the prologue of the book.

A professional security establishment is at the core of the modern state. It is the state’s best protection. But, if not managed well, it could turn into a nation’s worst nightmare. The possibility that the military, the strongest arm of the security establishment, might take over governance has always been a real concern all over the world. 


Some estimates suggest that, since 1950, there have been over 460 coup attempts around the world, of which some 233 were successful.

A ready example of such a threat materialising is our immediate neighbour Pakistan. Within years of its birth, the country’s military became an active participant in its national politics, and by 1958, had carried out the first coup. Since then, the Pakistani military has executed several successful coups, subverted democracy repeatedly, crippled the country’s social progress and assisted in imposing regressive religious beliefs. In short, it has established itself as not only Pakistan’s most powerful institution but also its most menacing one. Similarly, soon after its formation in 1971, Bangladesh witnessed a coup in which its first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the ‘Father of the Nation’, was assassinated, along with his family and personal staff.


In contrast, the Indian military became a professional outfit that got down to the task of building a democracy. It was deployed in taking on insurgents and protecting the country’s borders, and it joined international peacekeeping forces. Importantly, it became the frontline responder to natural disasters. Despite aberrations, the Indian military remains a fine professional institution to date. Many Indians draw solace from the fact that their military will never subvert the nation’s democracy. I am one of them.


The founding fathers, and mothers, of India were acutely aware of the need for civilian control over the military. From the symbolic move of its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, into the residence of the commander-in-chief of the military to staffing the core of the entire Ministry of Defence (MoD) with civil servants, the principle of civilian control was firmly put in place.