M A I N   N E W S

GCM: Siachen CO held guilty on 2 counts
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14
A general court martial (GCM) today found former Commanding Officer, 5/5 Gorkha Rifles, K.D. Singh, guilty of two of the four charges against him in the case pertaining to his unit faking killings in Siachen Glacier about three years ago.

He has been awarded two years loss of service for the purpose of pension and a severe reprimand. The seven-member GCM, presided over by Brig Manvendra Singh, Commander, 114 Infantry Brigade, concluded here today.

The court found him guilty of not apprising his brigade commander about his subordinate officer faking killings. One of the witnesses had deposed before the court to this effect. The higher authorities had learnt about this after a CD containing images to this effect was given to the Army chief by Maj Surinder Singh.

Maj Surinder Singh, a company commander with 5/5 GR, who had reportedly engineered the fake killings, was court martialled. Maj Surinder Singh, according to reports, admitted that he ordered troops under his command to pose as dead Pakistani soldiers and fired missiles at non-existent enemy positions. He was cashiered from service and sentenced to three-year RI.

Col K.D. Singh, who was later posted to Headquarters, Delhi, and then attached with an artillery brigade, was also found guilty of collecting money from his battalion personnel to set up a “glacier fund” for purchasing medicinal herbs. He had collected Rs 1,500 from each officer, Rs 1,000 from each JCO, Rs 800 from each NCO and Rs 500 each from jawans, amounting to about Rs 3.5 lakh.

Of this Rs 2 lakh were loaned to the unit “bania” (trader) at an interest of 8 per cent. The interest was to be repaid in the form of certain herbs, the consumption of which was supposed to be beneficial to troops posted on the glacier.

The court acquitted him of the charge of forcing two riflemen from his battalion to put up their papers for premature discharge from the Army in order to hide evidence pertaining to fake kills.

The court also found him not guilty of first issuing a warning letter to Maj Surinder Singh and then withdrawing it about a year later.