‘Sodomy bid led to subedar’s death’

Dhananjay Mahapatra.

Denial of leave has, in the past, been cited as a major reason for fratricide in the Army, but a gunner sentenced to life for killing his commander has narrated to the Supreme Court a story of persistent demand for “unnatural sex” by the superior as the reason to turn the gun on the subedar.

Gunner B D Khente pumped 18 bullets from his rifle into post commander subedar Randhir Singh at Razdhan, Baramulla, hours after he was punished by the senior for refusing to accede to his demands. Khente had been posted at the sensitive point for just 5 months after completion of training. The young man, arrested immediately after the shooting on June 28, 2006, had narrated his ordeal before the court of inquiry CoI and the Armed Forces Tribunal.

On that day, when Khente was about to retire at lunch time, the subedar ordered him to the store room and bolted the door. Two jawans who knocked on the door after hearing Khente’s cries were asked to go away by the subedar. Minutes later, Khente ran to the quarters and told his colleagues that the subedar had hit him and asked him to open his trousers. When he declined, he was beaten again, he claimed. Smarting under the humiliation, Khente, on the same night while on gun duty, fired at the subedar when he saw him approaching the guard post.

When another colleague was questioned on the subedar’s habit of attempting to sodomize young recruits, he told the CoI that the subedar had kissed him on the cheeks on four occasions in front of others. Arguing for Khente, advocate Ranji Thomas said it was not a planned murder but an offence committed when the person had virtually lost mental balance because of the senior’s attempt to sodomize him.

He requested a bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana P Desai to consider changing the conviction charge from homicide to culpable homicide, which would attract a maximum punishment of 10 years instead of the life sentence awarded. The bench agreed to consider the plea.

via Times Of India.

BSF jawan patrolling at border shoots colleague dead, kills self

A BSF jawan allegedly killed his colleague with his service weapon before turning the gun on himself when the two were on patrolling duty on the border with Pakistan, police said today.

The incident occurred last night about 50 km from Amritsar near Amarpost at Chinna Bidhi Chand village, Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police Kamaljit Singh said.

Sunil Kumar (28) shot at and killed Mahesh Kumar (27) before committing suicide, Singh said.

Sharing more details, DSP Daljit Singh Dhilon said, “Sunil Kumar approached his colleague Mahesh Kumar in a fit of rage while on duty and all of a sudden opened fire, killing him on the spot.

“Before anybody could understand, Sunil then shot himself with the same service rifle,” the DSP added.

Police said it would be too early to comment on the case as the matter was under investigation to ascertain what might have enraged Sunil to make him take such an extreme step.

The DSP revealed that the two deceased belonged to the same Rewari district of Haryana and “were very good friends”.

(They had) joined BSF together and underwent training jointly.

BSF itself was investigating the matter with an official saying that, “some family reasons might be there between the two friends but the matter is under probe”.

It is learnt that Sunil had got married a year ago and was recently back from a three-month vacation.

The bodies of the two soldiers have been sent for autopsy.

-via Hindustan Times.

Colonel could have been burnt dead by comrade, Army investigates

The army was probing the mysterious death of a senior officer whose charred body was seen in an operational shelter in a camp near Bandipora town amidst indications that the fire could have been an insider’s job.

Officially, the army had said that the fire was created by a short circuit and investigations were on into it but other sources said it could have been caused by an act of sabotage by some within the 5 Para Regiment in which Lt Col Sarang Apte was acting as the second-in-command.

The body of Apte, a decorated officer who took part in the Kargil war, with 100% burns, was found in a camp after a fire broke out in several huts during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Sources said preliminary investigation of an internal inquiry ordered into the incident pointed towards a possible involvement of some within the unit who might have triggered the fire to settle personal scores with Apte.

The investigators started working on sabotage theory as it was highly unlikely that the fire, if caused by electric short circuit, would have spread to other huts as these were located at a fair distance from the hut in which Apte was sleeping, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the shootout in which Maj Maninderpal Singh and a 70-year-old civilian were injured in Pattan area of Baramulla district on Saturday, could also leave the Army red faced.

The sources said the officer was probably lured by two youth to an orchard, the reason for which remained a mystery.

The major reportedly entered into a heated argument with the two youth, one of whom seized the officer’s revolver and shot him, sources said.

While one of them, Javed Ahmad, was nabbed by security forces within hours of the incident, the other youth, Firdaus Ahmad, who is having the officer’s pistol, is still at large, the sources said.

The army has so far remained tightlipped about the incident.

-via Hindustan Times.

AFT upholds armyman’s sentence for cowardice in fratricide case

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has upheld the sentence of dismissal and one-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) awarded to an Army junior commissioned officer (JCO) in an incident of fratricide.

The sentence had been awarded by a summary general court martial (GCM) to the JCO for alleged cowardice and failing to act appropriately in the incident in which a lieutenant colonel was shot.

The AFT, in its order this week, observed that the response of JCO Sub Jaibir Singh showed cowardice in the face of the enemy wherein he, all along, focused and concentrated merely on self-preservation and had not taken any action to neutralise the jawan who shot the officer.

There were at least 50 armed persons at the post within 100m of the site of the incident and he could have ordered these troops to take action against the jawan. By his inaction, he has displayed cowardice and these facts have been amply proved by the testimony of not only prosecution witnesses but also the defence witnesses, the AFT said.

The evidence on record clearly establishes that during the incident in which Lt Col Saket Saxena was shot, the JCO did not take any action to control the situation.

This was despite the fact that he was the second senior-most person on the post and was also the platoon commander of the jawan who had shot the lieutenant colonel, the tribunal observed.

On October 31, 2006, jawan Suresh Chandra Behera, while posted with Delta Company of 28 Rashtriya Rifles, shot and killed Lt Col Saket Saxena, the Officer Commanding of the Company, and continued firing intermittently thereafter.

A court of inquiry had held the JCO blameworthy for the lapses and he was tried under relevant Sections of the Army Act. His trial had concluded in April 2007 and his appeal against the order before the Chief of Army Staff was rejected in 2009. Then, he sought judicial redress against his trial, contending that the charges against him were false and that there were procedural lapses during his trial.

-via The Tribune, Chandigarh

Armyman arrested for stabbing his colleague

An army signalman was today remanded to six days police custody by a court after he was arrested for allegedly stabbing his colleague.

Official sources said that the accused RajeshV number 157011552Y of Northern Command Signal Regiment was arrested for attempt to murder his colleague Prabhash (T No. 15717068W) of the same regiment.

He was produced before the Ist Class Executive Magistrate Udhampur today, which remanded him to six days police custody.

Police said that on June, 7, 2012, Major Nithya Nair, Adjutant Northern Command signal regiment Udhampur had submitted a written request to Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station Rembal for registration of FIR against signalman Rajesh.

“Rajesh stabbed his colleague Prabhast thrice with a knife with an intention to kill him, thereby inflecting serious injuries in vital organs of the body (Abdomen/Chest/Arms/Liver etc.). The victim Jawan was shifted to Command Hospital for treatment in critical condition” the written complaint reads.

-via GreaterKashmir

Army jawan kills JCO

An army jawan allegedly shot dead a Junior Commissioned Officer in his unit in Rajouri border district of Jammu and Kashmir. Naik Gopal Singh shot dead JCO Subedar Dilbagh Singh, a member of Sikh regiment, in Noushera border belt of Rajouri district late night from his service rifle, a senior army officer said.

The JCO was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, he said, adding the accused jawan has been arrested.

The reason behind the murder is not known, the officer said, adding that a Court of Inquiry has been ordered in this regard.

A case has been registered and investigations were on in the case, police said.

-via Hindustan Times.

Army jawan shoots dead colleague as enemy

In a case of mistaken identity, an army jawan was on Wednesday shot dead by his colleague in border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.

H Battacharya was shot at by Havaldar S Kaltron, who was on duty at a security force camp in forward area of Balnoi belt at Indo-Pak border, officials said.

Battacharya was rushed to a military hospital in Rajouri, where he died, they said, adding that the santry had fired after observing some movement in the border belt close to the camp.

-via Zee News

Jawan shoots 2 soldiers, kills himself

In the third case of fratricide in a fortnight, two CRPF troopers deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the district were shot dead on Tuesday by their colleague who later turned the gun on himself.

Head Constable Tulsidas killed Constables Riyaz Ahmed Bhatt and R Kumar at their company location camp in Sitapara area of the district, opening fire from his AK series weapon at around 8pm. Superintendent of Police P K Tripathy said the incident took place after a quarrel broke out in the camp.

The troopers, according to CRPF sources, belong to ‘B’ company of the forces 184 battalion deployed for anti-Naxal duties in the state.

This was the second incident of fratricide involving CRPF personnel in 11 days.

-via The Times of India.

BSF jawan killed in fratricide incident

In the second fratricide incident in Kashmir Valley within a week, a BSF jawan allegedly shot dead his colleague outside an Air Force Station in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, police said in Srinagar.

Head Constable P.K. Hanjak of 2nd Battalion allegedly opened fire at Constable Susheel killing him on the spot.

Further details of the incident are awaited, a senior official said, adding Hanjak has been detained for questioning.

This is the second such incident in Kashmir. Three CRPF jawans were killed and another injured in a fratricide incident inside their camp in Kulgam on Saturday last.

-via India Today.

Two CRPF personnel killed as jawans fire at each other in camp

Two CRPF jawans were killed and as many injured after they allegedly fired at each other following a quarrel inside a camp in south Kashmir Kulgam district, police said here. Head Constables Suman Pillay and P Sibbu died on the spot while Head Constables S D Murthy and Javed Hussain were critically injured in the incident which occurred in the 18th Battalion CRPF camp at Kulgam, they said.

All the four jawans were posted as drivers in the force. Senior police and CRPF officials rushed to the spot to investigate the matter, they said adding the reason for the altercation among the jawans was not immediately known. This is the first incident of fratricide in CRPF this year in Kashmir Valley.

-via IBN Live News.