Maj guilty of giving grenades to Delhi-bound jawan: Army

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 22

The Army has taken disciplinary action against one of its officers who gave hand grenades to a soldier who was detained at Srinagar International Airport before he could board a New Delhi-bound flight in April last year.

The disciplinary action against the accused officer has been initiated after a Court of Inquiry found the Major guilty of giving two live grenades to the soldier to carry them to New Delhi.

“We have taken disciplinary action in the case against the officer who had given the solider the grenades to carry,” a senior defence officer privy to the development said. “The officer was attached immediately,” he said, but did not elaborate upon the disciplinary action taken against the guilty officer.

A 17 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles jawan, Bhupal Mukhia, who was posted at the Line of Control in the Uri sector of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, was to board a New Delhi-bound flight on April 3, 2017, when two live grenades were recovered from his luggage during the screening at the main gate of the Srinagar International Airport. The grenades were concealed in multiple covers.

The jawan was immediately detained by the anti-hijacking squad and a formal FIR was registered into the incident by the J&K Police. After the recovery of the grenades, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia had clarified that it was a case of carriage of grenades and there was no hijacking angle to the incident.

The jawan had told the police that he was handed over the grenades by “Major sahib” with the instruction to hand it over to someone in New Delhi. The jawan had said he did not know what was concealed in the packet.

Mukhia was handed over to the Army authorities on April 14 after the Commanding Officer of the jawan told the civil court that Mukhia would be dealt with under the Army Act.

A court of inquiry initiated by the Army found that the jawan had been given the hand grenades by a Major to carry it to New Delhi.

SOLDIER DETAINED IN SRINAGAR LAST YEAR 

• A jawan posted in the Uri sector was to board a New Delhi-bound flight on April 3, 2017, when two live grenades were recovered from his luggage at the Srinagar airport. The grenades were concealed in multiple covers
• The jawan had told the police that he was handed over the grenades by "Major sahib" with the instruction to hand it over to someone in New Delhi