Chandigarh, March 3
Almost two years after a clash between Army officers and jawans in Ladakh shook the military establishment, three officers of the rank of Major have been convicted by a military court for assaulting a jawan. The assault on the jawan, who allegedly tried to sexually assault the wife of an officer, had triggered the clash that left several officers and jawans injured.

Major SK Sharma, Major Ankur Tiwari and Major Kapil Malik have been awarded five-year loss of seniority for the purpose of promotion, four-year loss of service for the purpose of pension and a severe reprimand by a summary general court martial that concluded in Jammu and Kashmir a few days ago. The verdict is subject to confirmation by the convening authority.

The officers, sources said, had pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting a subordinate. Trails by court martial have also been conducted against a number of junior commissioned officers and other ranks involved in the clash.

In all, 168 personnel from the 226 Field Regiment, including the unit’s then commanding officer (CO) and four other officers were held blameworthy by a court of inquiry (COI) presided by Brig Ajay Talwar, Deputy General Officer Commanding 3 Infantry Division. Jawans and officers had clashed while the unit was on a field-firing exercise at Nyoma in eastern Ladakh in May 2012. The COI had reportedly pinpointed lapses in command and control and raised the issue of family members of officers being present on a field exercise. The role of some JCOs also came under scrutiny.