MISPLACED
LOYALTY
“Keep
it in the Family” Syndrome
A Garb for
Pseudo-Ethics
Musings of a Navy Veteran
By
VIKRAM
KARVE
RUSTOM
Recently – I saw the movie RUSTOM
The film is based on the famous 1959 Nanavati Case
(Commander K. M. Nanavati vs. State of
Maharashtra)
I am sure you are aware of this landmark
murder case in which Commander Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati – a Navy Commander –
was tried for the murder of Prem Ahuja – his wife’s lover.
NANAVATI
CASE
As per information on the Nanavati Case on the Internet – it
appears that – Commander Nanavati fired 3 shots at his wife’s lover who dropped
dead – and then – Commander Nanavati headed straight to confess to the Provost
Marshal of the Western Naval Command – and – on his advice – Nanavati
surrendered himself to the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The murder case received unprecedented media
coverage and inspired several books and movies.
Commander Nanavati – accused under section
302 – was initially declared “Not Guilty” by a Jury under section 302 – but –
the verdict was dismissed by the Bombay High Court – and – the case was
re-tried as a bench trial.
The High Court sentenced Nanavati to life
imprisonment for culpable homicide amounting to murder – and subsequently – the
Supreme Court of India upheld the conviction.
Nanavati was granted pardon after spending 3
years in prison – and – after his release – Nanavati – his wife Sylvia – and –
their 3 children – all migrated to Canada – and – settled in Toronto.
Nanavati died in 2003.
The Nanavati case was the last to be heard as
a Jury Trial in India – as the government abolished jury trials after this landmark
case.
RUSTOM
(Movie) – Twist in the Tail
The movie ending is different – with a “Twist
in the Tail”.
The protagonist Commander Rustom Pavri walks
free after the jury declares him “not guilty”.
On the eve of the judgement – while talking
to the Investigating Officer (Police Inspector Lobo) – Commander Rustom Pavri
justifies killing his wife’s lover (Vikram Makhija)
Rustom says that the real reason he shot dead
his wife’s lover (Vikram Makhija) was to prevent India Navy from acquiring a
“sub-standard” Aircraft Carrier which would have compromised national security.
Vikram Makhija was an “Arms Agent” – and – he
had entered into a conspiracy with “Bigwigs” (including high ranking Naval
Officers and Bureaucrats) – to siphon off money by importing a “sub-standard”
warship.
Rustom is deputed abroad to a foreign country to inspect the ship
– and – he discovers the “scam”.
He is shocked to learn that his friend Vikram
Makhija is the main conspirator and his own senior officers are involved
neck-deep in the scam.
The corrupt “scamsters” try to “persuade”
Rustom to give a “favourable” report to accept the “sub-standard” ship.
The corrupt “scamsters” try to bribe Rustom –
and – later they threaten him – but – Rustom – who is a patriotic and honest
officer – refuses to compromise his integrity.
On his return to India – Rustom he
telephonically informs the Defence Secretary about the scam – and – Rustom tells
him that he will not spare the main conspirator Vikram Makhija (who – Rustom
has coincidentally learnt is having an affair with his wife Sylvia).
(It later transpires that the Defence
Secretary is also involved in the scam).
Rustom proceeds to Vikram Makhija’s house and
puts three bullets into his chest.
Vikram Makhija drops dead.
Everyone (including the investigating officer
Inspector Lobo) thinks that Rustom killed Makhija because he caught him having
an affair with his wife.
However – at the end of the movie – while
talking to Inspector Lobo – Rustom reveals that real reason why he killed
Vikram Makhija.
Rustom says the he killed Vikram Makhija
since he was the key conspirator in the shady deal to import the sub-standard
aircraft carrier warship.
Thereby – he managed foil the shady deal and
prevented the import of a sub-standard warship whose acquisition would have
compromised national security.
Inspector Lobo asks Commander Rustom Pavri:
“What about the other conspirators like the Senior Navy Officers, Defence
Secretary etc…? Why didn’t you expose them and ensure that they got punished…?”
Rustom says: “If I had exposed them – the
“image” of the Navy and Government would have got tarnished – so – I did not
expose those persons in “high places” to protect the reputation of the nation…”
Does the movie want to give a “message” that
it is okay to condone high-level corruption in shady Defence deals – on the
specious logic that – exposing high-ranking perpetrators will tarnish the “good
image” of the Armed Forces, spoil the reputation of the Defence Establishment
and embarrass the Government…?
In the Movie – Rustom displays “Misplaced
Patriotism” by his misguided belief – that – he is defending the honour of the
Navy and the Nation – by concealing the extent of the scam and withholding the
names corrupt senior officers – due to which high-ranking perpetrators of the
scam escape punishment and get away scot-free.
Hence – the “moral message” is that – for the
“greater good” – it is justified to let wrongdoers get away scot-free just to
protect the reputation of the organization.
Bizarre logic – isn’t it…?
Or maybe – it is not so bizarre.
Don’t we see such cases of “misplaced
loyalty” in real life…?
This phenomenon is visible at work – at the
organizational level – and – in personal life – at the familial level.
MISPLACED
LOYALTY (The “Keep it in the Family” Syndrome)
Misplaced loyalty makes you remain silent
when you know you should speak up – at work – and – in personal life –
especially when it comes to personal friendships and close family relationships.
We see this phenomenon of “misplaced loyalty”
in organizations – in the military (under the garb of “izzat”) – and – in
“civvy street” too – in civilian bureaucracy – in business houses and the
corporate sector – and – of course – in political parties.
Engaging in misplaced loyalty in professional
life entails complying with a “code of silence” about the internal affairs of
your organization.
In the Military – “Regimental Loyalties”
(keep it within the unit) – and “Ship Loyalties” (keep it within the ship) –
are examples of such misplaced organizational loyalties.
At the family/personal level – incidents of
Incest, Sexual Abuse, Inappropriate Behaviour, Adultery, Pedophilia and
Domestic Violence that happen within a “family” – these incidents may be
“hushed up” to avoid “washing dirty linen in public” – because of the
fallacious fear – that exposing the
wrongdoers may bring a “bad name” to the family and tarnish the reputation of
the entire family.
I call it the “keep it in the family” syndrome.
The term “family” is used literally to mean
personal family comprising relatives – as well as metaphorically – to refer to
organizations (workplace “family”).
“Misplaced Loyalty” due to the “Keep it in
the Family” syndrome sometimes makes you condone unethical acts of
individuals/organizations who you feel are a “part of the family” and towards
whom you feel a sense of “loyalty”.
“Misplaced Loyalty” attitudes of – “Keep it
in the Family” – “Don’t Wash Dirty Linen in Public” – result in a
“pseudo-ethical” tendency to “brush misdemeanors under the carpet” and “hush
up” wrongdoings – due to which culprits get away scot-free.
Owing to these “Misplaced Loyalty” Mindsets
in Organizations – Frauds and Scams are “hushed-up” – Corruption and
Wrongdoings are not exposed – and – Scandals are swept under the carpet.
In extremis – even heinous crimes are “hushed
up” due to the propensity to “cover up” criminal activities due to “Keep it in
the Family” Syndrome.
Both at the macro-level and micro-level – in
organizational environments – and – in family settings – “misplaced loyalty”
due to “keep it in family” syndrome may have deleterious consequences.
Wrongdoers will get emboldened to commit
misdemeanors even more brazenly with disastrous consequences.
The widespread corruption, various scams/scandals
and proliferation of crime bear testimony to this fact.
Due to the “keep it in the family” mindset –
in workplaces and in family settings – if sexual perverts who indulge in “inappropriate
behavior” are allowed to go scot-free – they may get emboldened to commit worse
misdemeanors like sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape etc.
“Misplaced Loyalty” is dangerous – for the
“family” – and for society at large.
Even if it means “embarrassment” to the
“family” – isn’t it better to “name and shame” wrongdoers and punish these malefactors
at the very first instance…?
Exposing transgressors in the very first
instance will help “nip things in the bud” – and – will deter these wrongdoers
from committing graver misdemeanors – which may prove to be even more
detrimental to the family/organization.
During my long career in the Navy – I did come
across a few instances of attempts to “cover up” due to “keep it in the family”
syndrome (“Misplaced Loyalty” arising from “fear of reputation damage” or so-called
pseudo “honor codes”) – but – by and large – instances of misconduct were duly
reported and the offenders were punished.
CONCLUSION
Coming back to the movie RUSTOM – it is one
thing for a Naval Officer to commit an “honor killing” by shooting his wife’s
illicit lover – but – it is quite another thing for a Naval Officer to kill a
civilian conspirator in a defence scam while “protecting” high-ranking officers
involved in the same scam and justifying the “hush up” on the bizarre logic that
exposing these high-ranking officers will tarnish the image of the service.
I wish the movie had stuck to the original
story – and – not twisted the story by a hotchpotch sub-plot about corruption
in defence deals – and – ended up with the protagonist justifying his
“Misplaced Patriotism” – due to which he does not expose corruption in the
shady defence deal – on the specious logic that “naming and shaming” corrupt
high-ranking officers involved in the scam would “tarnish the image” of the
Navy (and Nation) – and – thereby allows the conspirators to get away
scot-free.
To sum up:
Misplaced Loyalty (due to “keep it in the family” syndrome) is a garb
for pseudo-ethics and proves detrimental to the greater good in the long run.
VIKRAM KARVE
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1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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