Sanjha Morcha

10 soldiers sacked for 2012 clash with officers at Leh

A summary general court martial (SGCM) at the Western Command headquarters in Chandimandir has dismissed nine soldiers with four-year imprisonment and fired another with 18-month jail in a 2012 clash with officers at Nyoma near Leh in Jammu and Kashmir

OUR-YEAR JAIL FOR NINE, 18-MONTH TERM FOR ANOTHER; INCIDENT HAPPENED OVER RAPE BID ON OFFICER’S WIFE

 CHANDIGARH: A summary general court martial (SGCM) at the Western Command headquarters in Chandimandir has dismissed nine soldiers with four-year imprisonment and fired another with 18-month jail in a 2012 clash with officers at Nyoma near Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the court-martial proceedings that concluded on Wednesday night, nine soldiers — naik RK Sharma; lance naiks Devinder Singh and KR Jha; havildar Satish Kumar; and gunners Satinder Kumar, BB Katia, Srijit MV, Shibin K, and Sunil Kumar RK — were held guilty of destroying officers’ property under Section 55-A of the Army Act but not of mutiny under Section 37-A. Gunner MR Hansa, though also dismissed for destroying officers’ property, was given a shorter jail term because of smaller evidence against him. Capt Sanjay Chaudhary (retd) was prosecution counsel.

In the May 12, 2012, clash over rape attempt on an officer’s wife, the soldiers of 226 Field Regiment had destroyed officers’ belongings such as clothes, camera, uniform, and television set. Commanding officer colonel Prasad Kadam had sustained five fractures in the vital parts of his body.

The officers had to flee. The unit was then on field-firing exercise at Nyoma.

After the clash, the officers involved had pleaded guilty and were let off with forfeiture of service, while the jawans faced trial. The court of inquiry had indicted more than 150 soldiers and four officers. For the assault on the officer’s wife, an officer’s sahayak named Suman Kumar was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment and dismissed from service.

During the court martial at Chandimandir, captain Arun Balachandran identified the soldiers involved in the clash, which led to their conviction. Many senior officers, including former CO of the unit, had deposed.