Indian Air Force officer facing court martial for cutting chopper cables says he was beaten to extract confession

The court martial is being conducted at Air Force Station, Sarsawa and is presided upon by Group Capt Athar Hussain with Wing Commanders Amit Sharma, Ankur Sharma, Prashant Singhal, and Squadron Leader Abhishek as members. Squadron Leader Siddharth Singh is the Judge Advocate.

As per air force regulations, a flight gunner is supposed to perform the duties of a flight steward in the absence of a flight steward. The accused has stated in his defence before the Court of Inquiry that he was initially instructed to carry out flight steward duties on two occasions during visit of the AOC-in-C. He had objected to these instructions initially as he claimed he was not trained for flight steward duties.

He added that in various flights involving dignitaries, he performed all the duties including serving water and refreshments to the passengers. But on two occasions he was briefed to serve tea and breakfast in a tray to the dignitaries and he was not comfortable doing this in uniform.

The accused has also contended that while the Court of Inquiry into allegations against him was in progress at Air Force Station, Sarsawa and he was not being given flying duties, on Dec 23, 2020, he was sent on attachment to 12 Wing Air Force Station, Chandigarh for flying trade duties.

He has alleged that despite this fact having been known to the then AOC and the Court of Inquiry team, he was cleared and sent for the said attachment. He has stated that he was sent to Air Force Station, Chandigarh in a helicopter and after landing he was directed to report to the Station Adjutant.

The accused has alleged that the Adjutant directed the accused to go along with four unknown personnel who were in the civil dress. He alleged that he was taken outside the Air Force Station area with his eyes covered with black cloth and was driven for four to five hours in a car and then taken to some place where he was harassed and beaten.

In the next three days, the accused made a confessional statement which was video recorded and within a few hours, the Court of Inquiry team reached there by service helicopter and again recorded the confession statement of accused on oath before returning back to Sarsawa with him the same day — December 26, 2020.

The accused has raised the question on what was the hurry to record his statement if he had confessed voluntarily without any fear and threat. A paper cutter which was allegedly used to cut the cables of the helicopter was reportedly also recovered on the same day itself with his fingerprints.

The prosecution in the court martial has learnt to have termed the entire story of the defence as false. The prosecution has brought out that had the story about the accused being beaten up been true, it would have come out in the medical examination on December 16. It may be mentioned that the xpaper cutter was seized in the presence of the same officer who conducted his medical.

The prosecution has contended that the accused has not made any statement in the Court of Inquiry about having been beaten up and tortured. It added that the claim has been made almost after a gap of two years between the conduct of Court of Inquiry and the court martial and that it is an afterthought.

As regards the Court of Inquiry team going to Chandigarh, the prosecution has claimed that the same was an administrative requirement which is not relevant before the court martial. The prosecution has dismissed the allegations of accused as hypothesis or conjectures which are not backed by any evidence.