Manu
Pubby : New Delhi
The violence at a Ladakh firing
range, constituting one of the most serious discipline-related incidents in the
Army in recent years, was the result of a series of rule breaches by officers.
Sources indicated a trust deficit between officers and jawans, including
failure of the command structure, and a rumour about a badly beaten jawan dying
that could not be contained.
The Army has called Thursday’s
events a “minor scuffle” resulting in “superficial injuries” to four, who are
in hospital. However, sources said the violence lasted several hours and
that apart from the commanding officer of 226 Field Regiment, three majors and
10 jawans received injuries. A court of inquiry has been instituted.
In a statement issued today, the
Army said the regiment was being moved back to its location, Darbuk, from the
firing range. Commanding Officer Col. P Kadam is likely to be moved out for
medical care. Kadam was reportedly already scheduled to relinquish command, and
the Army said no one has been “removed, dismissed or suspended”.
Slamming “misinterpretation” and
“mischievous reporting”, the Army also said, “The entire episode can at
worst be seen as an isolated act of indiscipline. It can in no way be termed a
mutiny.”
A reconstruction of what
transpired at the Army’s Mahi firing range in Nyoma, around 150 km from Leh, on
Thursday:
* The 226 Field Regiment had
moved from Darbuk to the range for firing practice, and officers and men were
staying in temporary tents. However, in a breach of rules, at least five
officers allegedly also had their wives accompanying them. While families
are usually invited for firing demos of artillery guns, wives and children are
strictly not allowed at a firing practice session. Even at Darbuk, only a
limited number of families are allowed, given that it is a designated “field
area”. The Army says the wives were staying at a nearby GREF (General Reserve
Engineer Force) camp.
* On Thursday, as the firing
practice was on, the regiment barber, identified as Suman Ghosh, is believed to
have entered a major’s tent. The sequence of events is unclear, but a version
says that on seeing the officer’s wife in the tent, Ghosh ran out in alarm.
Following this, the wife allegedly created a furore.
* The major, along with two other
officers, is believed to have then thrashed Ghosh, as well as denied him
medical aid. This was a second breach of rules as in such cases, disciplinary
action is taken while physical assault is forbidden. However, the matter was
believed to have been sorted out following the intervention of Commanding
Officer Kadam. Ghosh was sent for medical care to a nearby field hospital.
* In the evening though,
things took an ugly turn when all the soldiers of the regiment (close to 500)
returned to the barracks. A strong rumour spread that Ghosh had died after the
severe beating. In a third violation of rules, the subedar major of the
battalion — who is the representative of the troops — failed to quell these
rumours.
* Convinced that Ghosh had
died, a group of soldiers went to the temporary officer’s mess and created a
ruckus. As things started getting out of control and physical, Col
* A fight then broke out
between the officers and men. The temporary mess is believed to have been
vandalised with some fittings being burnt down by the soldiers. However,
weapons are not believed to have been used.
* Officers of the unit fled
from the spot, some rushing to their wives. At least two wives are believed to
have been “rescued” by personnel from the GREF camp, fearing the anger of the
jawans. By evening, all the officers had been accounted for, with one having
fled to an Army camp in Chushul.
* By late evening, as reports of
the violence reached senior officers, troops were rushed from a nearby
Rajputana Rifles regiment camp. While rumours of the soldiers seizing the
armoury were found to be untrue, the Raj Rif secured the artillery guns of the
unit. By Friday morning, normalcy had been restored as senior officers rushed
to the spot.
A shaken-up Army is now trying to
get things on track. Col Yogi Sheoran, who commanded the regiment before Kadam
and is believed to have a good rapport with the troops, has been rushed to the
unit. The Army denied that Kadam had been attacked by fellow officers. The
commander of the Nimu-based 3 Artillery Brigade was also sent to the Nyoma
camp.
While the unit was to earlier
stay at Mahi for a month with its artillery, the firing practice has now been
cancelled and all temporary shelters set up near the Nyoma range dismantled.
The Army court of inquiry will be
headed by an officer of the rank of Brigadier or above. Given the serious
breach of disciple, strict action, including court martial, is likely.
A preliminary report on the incident has already been forwarded by the 3
Division 14 Corps. Incidentally, the 226 Field Regiment has had disciplinary
problems in the past too. An inquiry had been ordered into allegations against
the commanding officer of the same unit while it was deployed on the western
frontier during Operation Parakram, following a series of anonymous letters
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