New Delhi, May 12 : The commanding officer of 226 Field Artilllery Unit Col P Kadam, Major S K Sharma and an injured orderly were airlifted to Leh Hospital on Friday morning, after they suffered fractures during the clash between soldiers and Army officers over the issue of a jawan allegedly misbehaving with a Major's wife.
Col Kadam reportedly suffered limb fractures and bruised eyes and was airlifted from Nyoma. Three other Majors who fled after the jawans went on a rampage at the Border Roads Organisation guest house, took shelter in the Chushul army camp, located near the Indo-Chinese Line of Actual Control.
The clash took place on Thursday night during the annual firing exercise at Mahe in Nyoma at the training camp of 226 Field Regiment.
It is alleged that a 'sahayak'(orderly) Suman Ghose reportedly misbehaved with a Major's wife at a family picnic party in the officers' mess located at BRO guest house, after which several Majors bashed up the Army jawan. When the CO came to know of it, he reportedly admonished the Major for not providing ambulance for the jawan's treatment.
By this time, many jawans had reached the spot and a fracas began. The jawans attacked the army officers including the CO, even as several officers reportedly fled for their lives.
The jawans then took temporary control of the armoury but no weapon was taken out.
The Army on Friday ordered a Court of Inquiry into the entire episode resulting from "breakdown of command and control structure". The General Officer Commanding 14 Corps visited the spot on Friday for a first-hand assessment.
The field regiment at Nyoma is located hardly 20 km away from the Line of Actual Control with China in the Ladakh region.
The 226 Field Artillery Unit is part of the 3rd Infantry Division responsible for guarding the Ladakh border.
:Commanding officer hospitalised after unprecedented clashes between indisciplined jawans and officers near Leh ALREADY under fire for numerous scams, frequent fratricides and over the date- ofbirth controversy embroiling its chief, the army dealt its reputation another blow on Thursday night when jawans and officers of an artillery unit posted close to the China border engaged in a punch- up.
This was followed by the mutinous soldiers ransacking the Border Roads Organisation guest house where the officers were staying and capturing the armoury for a while, sources revealed.
There are two versions on what triggered the brawl, which left a Commanding Officer, Major and jawan hospitalised. One is that an orderly allegedly molested a Major's wife and the other is that all hell broke loose after a soldier was ill- treated by the families of the officers who were attending an annual firing practice session.
On Friday, a court of inquiry was ordered into the clash that took place during the training camp of the 226 Field Regiment at Mahe in Nyoma, located some 120 km from Leh and just 20 km from the Line of Actual Control on the Sino- Indian border.
PTI adds from New Delhi: The Army has submitted a report to the Defence Ministry about the clash between jawans and officers at a firing range near the India-China boundary in Nyoma, Ladakh.
An initial report about the incident has been submitted to the Defence Ministry. Details about the entire episode would be provided only after the Court of Inquiry (CoI) instituted in the matter submits its findings, army sources said here.
However, sources said there seemed to be an attempt earlier on part of the army to cover up the whole incident as it had informed the ministry that there was only a scuffle between jawans and officers and that details were not provided Soon after media reports about the incident surfaced, the army had issued a public statement dismissing the incident as a scuffle.
Army sources said the officers and jawans involved in the clashes will now be attached to the Court of Inquiry ordered by the superior headquarters and will face action.
On whether Commanding Officer of 226 Field Regiment Colonel Kadam was being relieved of his command duties in view of the incident, Army sources denied this saying the officer had anyways completed his command tenure and was expecting a posting in the near future.
Sources said there was also a possibility that the unit may be disbanded after the completion of the disciplinary proceedings into the case.
