Major among 6 punished for torturing youth

After the youth complained of severe rectal pain and bleeding, the Army tried to dump him in a private nursing home, which turned down the request on seeing the youth’s condition.

The torture came to the light when the Army then handed him over to the police, who in turn admitted him to the Assam Medical College Hospital at Dibrugarh four days later.

Doctors in the Assam Medical College diagnosed his case as “blunt abdominal trauma” with rectal bleeding. Nipul’s family alleged that he was subjected to electric shocks, including on his private parts, at the Army camp in Tiloi near Moran.

The youth’s arrest and subsequent allegation of torture had led to a massive public outcry, prompting the army to institute a Court of Inquiry.

“The Army conducted an inquiry against the defaulters to pinpoint responsibility for the lapses and subsequently two officers and four other ranks were tried by a summary General Court Martial,” Lt Col Rajesh Kalia, PRO at the 4 Corps HQ in Tezpur said on Thursday.

“On being found guilty, they were punished with loss of seniority for promotion and pension,” Lt Col Kalia said.

The officer, however, was not able to immediately provide names of the officers, saying, “Individuals are not important. It is more important to note that the Army does not spare anybody for violating human rights.”

It may be recalled that the public outcry was so intense that Maj Gen M C Marwah, GOC of the Army’s Dinjan-based 2 Mountain Division in Upper Assam, not only expressed regret over the violation of rights, but immediately instituted a Court of Inquiry into the incident.