Army officer gets 7-yr RI in rape case

JAMMU, OCT 4: An Army officer was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and dismissed from service after he was found guilty of having raped a girl in Naugam village in Banihal tehsil of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, a release issued by defence authorities said on Wednesday.

The officer, Captain Ravinder Singh Tewatia, was tried by court martial for having raped a village girl on February 14 and the sentence was issued on September 30.

The officer was posted to number 12 battalion of Rashtriya Rifles for anti-terrorist operations and had committed the crime along with a Special Police Officer (SPO), Bharat Bhushan on the fateful day.

Medical examination of the victim, Kulsuma Bano, of Naugam village had confirmed that she was raped and the Army authorities conducted an impartial inquiry following registration of the case, the release said.